


Princess Mononoke- The Second World

by BlackSabbath4Ever



Series: Princess Mononoke- Continuing the Adventure [3]
Category: Mononoke-hime | Princess Mononoke
Genre: Gen, Ghibli, Studio Ghibli, studio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-19
Updated: 2014-07-19
Packaged: 2018-02-09 13:13:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 51,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1984266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackSabbath4Ever/pseuds/BlackSabbath4Ever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashitaka and San now have a daughter and have created an adequate way to raise her in both of their lifestyles and cultures. However, a host of malevolent creatures descend on Irontown and envelops the land in a thick fog. As the spiteful forces begin to torment the townspeople and threaten their child, Ashitaka & San must discover what is causing them to enter the world. This is a sequel to my previous story, "Into the Jaws of a Wolf".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Ashitaka threw his arm over his eyes to shield them from the rays of light that shone through the gaps of his window screen. It was always like this during summer; the sun would arise during the early hours of the morning and shine brightly until late at night. Ashitaka found it to be more pleasurable than winter, when the sun would be constantly blocked by dark clouds of rain and snow, but it was still annoying. At least during winter he could light a torch to see in the darkness and wear extra clothing to fight the cold. But during the summer, he was at the mercy of the humidity, the heat, and the beaming sun. He crawled across the floor to the window and better closed the screens. As thin as they were, they did a good job of blocking out the light when they were adjusted properly.

Even though it was still early, Ashitaka decided to get ready for the day. As he was getting out of his nightclothes he remembered that today San was supposed to arrive with their daughter so the two could stay in Irontown with him for two weeks.

* * *

Three years ago, San gave birth to their daughter while Ashitaka was staying with her in the forest. It was sudden; the two were mulling around the pond when San suddenly doubled over and told him that she was feeling a great amount of pain. Once he knew what was going on, he began to help her through the ordeal. The experience was scary since he didn't know how to properly deliver a child. Seeing San's face contort in agony and hearing her piercing scream echo throughout the forest as if she was being tortured did not help either. His mind was racing with many scenarios while she was in labor, a great many of which absolutely horrified him. However, after almost an entire day of helping San deliver their child, his panic fled as he laid his eyes upon their daughter for the first time. San's face, covered in sweat and with tears rolling down her cheeks, brightened from sorrow to joy as Ashitaka handed her their child.

"Ashitaka, she's beautiful." She remarked.

"Yes, just like her mother." He said.

* * *

Months before their daughter had been born, the two decided on a way to raise their child in a manner that would reflect both of their lifestyles. For the first two weeks, Ashitaka and San would raise her together in the forest. Ashitaka would then return to Irontown while San raised the child in the forest for another two weeks. After that time had passed, San would come to Irontown with their child and the three would live there. After another two weeks, San would return to the forest while Ashitaka took care of their child in Irontown. Ashitaka wished that he and San were able to live together more often, but his duties in Irontown and her lingering disdain for humans made it too difficult for them to do so. Still, it worked out well enough for them and their daughter was happy.

Ashitaka knew that San would be here soon. She always woke up early and it seemed that their daughter inherited that trait as well. He finished dressing and went into the main room to see what he could make for breakfast. Just as he pulled a bottle of preserved berries off of a shelf, he heard a knock on his door. He immediately set the bottle down on the table in the center of the room and opened the door. As soon as Ashitaka opened the door, his daughter ran into the house and hugged him, reaching up to wrap her tiny hands around his waist.

"Hi, daddy!" She greeted as she pressed the side of her face against his leg.

"Hello, Kaya," He said as she ruffled her soft brown hair. He and San had named her Kaya Moro Mononoke, combining the names of his sister, San's wolf mother, and the name given to San by the residents of Irontown. "Hello, San."

San entered the house and kicked the door closed behind her. "Hello, Ashitaka." She greeted as she wrapped her arms around him while he put his free arm around her. Her hair had grown longer and was kept in a braided ponytail. The tattoos on her face, currently hidden by her clay half-mask, were still as red as before and her physique had changed very little, though she was a bit taller and was now Just a hair shorter than Ashitaka. Ashitaka hadn't changed much either, though he grew his hair out and began to wear it in a bun similarly to when he lived with the Emishi.

"How was your stay in the forest, dear?" Ashitaka asked Kaya.

"It was fun," She replied, "Mother was teaching me how to play hide-and-seek with the animals."

For a brief moment, Ashitaka thought that she actually meant the game. Then he realized that San was teaching Kaya how to stalk prey like a wolf. "Perhaps one day she'll teach you how to play tag with them."

"She said she might next time we're in the forest. She said she wanted to ask you first."

"I'll talk to her about it." San removed her mask and headdress and placed them on the couch on the opposite side of the room. "I have some toys for you in the bottom drawer of my dresser. Why don't you go play with them?"

"Okay!"

Kaya ran off to the bedroom while Ashitaka sat next to San on the couch. "How is she when she's tracking animals?"

"She needs to continue practicing," San replied, "She makes too much noise and even speaks sometimes while we're trying to sneak up on our quarry. And if you think I'm putting her in danger, don't worry. We only stalk smaller prey such as squirrels or rabbits."

Ashitaka was relieved. "Has she ever caught any?"

"I haven't taught her how to give chase yet. I go after whatever we are following if we actually need food."

"She sounds like she enjoys it." Ashitaka remarked. He could hear Kaya playing with what sounded like a spinning top. "She's taking to both of our lifestyles very well."

San nodded in agreement. "I was thinking of teaching her how to swim once I teach her how to hunt."

"Are you sure she's old enough?"

"I was able to swim was I was her age, if not younger. She should be fine."

Ashitaka didn't protest since he was confident San knew what she was doing. San held Kaya, who she referred to by the child's middle name, very near and dear to her heart. The only other human that she gave such affection to was Ashitaka. She still seemed to hold some resent the residents of Irontown, though that didn't keep her from going out with Ashitaka into the town. When she did go out she seemed to speak less than Kaya did with the other townspeople. She seemed shy around them, which Ashitaka found funny since her wolf side was much more eccentric and quirky. He believed that it was because she never socialized with other humans until she was a young adult.

"What are these?" Kaya asked as she walked out of the bedroom holding a stack of cards.

"Those are playing cards, Kaya," Ashitaka replied, "they're used for games that adults and children play."

"Can we play a game?"

"Not right now; I need to work first. We can play afterward."

"Can I come with you?"

Ashitaka thought about bringing her for a moment. He knew that he could bring along San since she could hold onto his waist while sitting behind him, but Kaya was too small to fully reach around him and he couldn't carry her while holding Yakul's reins at the same time. Of course, he could just patrol around the farms by foot. "Sure, but I need to let Yakul out first. Do you want to come along, San?"

San nodded and stood up from the couch. She would much rather be outside the town's walls than staying indoors or walking around the town. The last time she was walking around Irontown alone, which was before she gave birth, she had a confrontation with a man who lost his son to the wolves several years ago and had too much to drink that night. It took several townspeople, including Ashitaka, who had heard the commotion, to pull her off the man when he spat in her face. After that incident, she stayed by Ashitaka's side whenever she was in Irontown.

Ashitaka went to the stables and told Yakul that he would be working on foot and let the elk out so he could exercise, run free, and wander around in the nearby forest and mountain. Whenever he let Yakul out, he usually didn't return for several days. Ashitaka was fine with this since he knew that Yakul preferred to be free and away from the stables. After Yakul vanished into the forest, Ashitaka, San, and Kaya went over to the farms to watch the area. Ashitaka knew that there wouldn't be any trouble. After Hanto had died, trouble was rare in Irontown. The most serious incident to occur after his death was a slight scare several years ago; the townspeople became alarmed when they heard a shrill noise coming from the forest. It turned out it was actually San when she was giving birth to Kaya. Ashitaka and San sometimes joked about how their daughter managed to scare the townspeople before she was even born.

* * *

Upon the advent of twilight, the three returned to Ashitaka's home. Ashitaka and San prepared dinner while Kaya went back into the bedroom to play with the toys in the dresser. As they were finishing up, Ashitaka looked outside the window to see that there were dark clouds in the sky.

"That's weird," He commented, "there aren't usually clouds like that during this season."

"Nature isn't very predictable," San pointed out, "but you're right. Even I haven't seen clouds like that before during this time of the year."

Ashitaka brushed it off, believing it was simply a bit of odd weather.

After they had finished eating, San changed Kaya into her nightclothes before she and Ashitaka changed into theirs. Inside the bedroom was a cradle for Kaya to sleep in while Ashitaka and San slept on his futon. Kaya had already fallen asleep, silently resting under her white blanket. As she and Ashitaka lay down to sleep, San remembered that the window in the main room was still open. She told him that she'd close it and went to the main room.

San began to close the window but stopped when she noticed that it was raining. "This really is abnormal weather." She said to herself. She looked outside and noticed that there was more than just rain. The mountain was completely covered by thick fog and the sky was much darker than it would normally be. As she peered outside, she noticed that there was a woman on top the rooftop of a house across the street. She thought was strange; even she knew that standing on rooftops was something humans normally didn't do. As she continued to examine the woman, she noticed something even more unusual: the woman was licking her hand. She thought that maybe the woman had drunken too much. Maybe the woman was crazy. She didn't know. She closed the window and returned to the bedroom. "It's raining outside." She told Ashitaka as she lay down next to him.

"I noticed," Ashitaka said, "I can hear the raindrops outside. It will probably clear up in the morning."

San nodded and rested her head on a soft pillow as Ashitaka laid an arm across her. She didn't think the woman outside was important but thought that perhaps Ashitaka would want to hear about her. "There's somebody on top of one of the houses across the street," She said, "some woman who I think was licking her palm."

Ashitaka was surprised but not alarmed. "Do you know who she is?"

"The only women I know in this town are the one who shot you, Toki, and Eboshi." San hesitated before saying Lady Eboshi's name. Despite learning that "that woman" was her mother, she still had trouble saying her actual name since she always called her "that woman" for many years.

"Maybe I should see who she is." Ashitaka now stood up and went over to the window. He opened it and looked outside and saw the woman San was talking about. As San mentioned, the woman was standing on a rooftop and was licking her hand. She didn't seem to be looking anywhere in particular. "Hey!" Ashitaka called, "You might want to go inside!" The woman did not react and simply continued to stand and lick her hand. Ashitaka tried to call out to her one more time but still received no reaction. After a while, he gave up and closed the window. "Perhaps one of the guards will see her." He said to himself. He lay back down next to San and the two drifted off to sleep. The rain disappeared from their minds quickly and they thought nothing more of it. Still, they both wondered why that woman was standing out in the rain while licking her hand.


	2. Summer Rain

San awoke to find that the rain was still pouring from the night before. She thought that it was actually coming down harder than it was the night before. Since she could only judge it by sound, she wasn't entirely sure.

"Ashitaka, wake up," She whispered as she nudged him awake, "it's still raining." Ashitaka fluttered his eyes before sitting up. He could hear the sound of raindrops pelting against the roof and ground outside. They sounded like thousands of tiny drums being rapidly tapped.

As Ashitaka stood up to go outside, he heard a loud knocking on his door. "I wonder who'd be out at this time," He remarked as he went over to open the door.

The man standing at the door was wearing an orange an orange tunic and had his face covered in white cloth. He was one of the guards who normally walked along the wall. "Ashitaka," He said over the pounding rain, "Lady Eboshi just delivered an edict: all residents of Irontown are to remain within the walls until further notice."

"Why does everybody need to remain inside?"

"Apparently there was a large flood outside the walls and a few people were hurt. I think they're safe now but Lady Eboshi doesn't want anybody else going past the gate."

"Does she need any help?"

"No, she's fine. Once this rain clears up, things should be back to normal." The man turned and went to the next house. As he was leaving, Ashitaka heard him muse, "You never see this much rain during the summer."

Ashitaka shut the door and returned to the bedroom where he found San cradling Kaya in her arms. "It looks like we can't leave for a while."

"So we're going to have to stay inside all day?" San asked in annoyance.

"At least until the rain clears up."

San sighed set Kaya down as the child walked over to the dresser and took out some of the toys she was playing with yesterday. "I hate being stuck inside for so long."

Seeing San in such low spirits caused Ashitaka to think about what they could do while they waited out the storm. He knew that the townspeople would likely gather in the large building that was once the ironworks and socialize, but he knew that San didn't enjoy being around that many humans. Kaya playing with her toys and remembering what she asked him yesterday about playing cards gave him an idea.

"We can play cards," He said, "I know a few games I can teach to you and Kaya."

Ashitaka spent the next few hours teaching San and Kaya different card games. He found that San was good with memory based games. He would hold back to make things easier for Kaya, who was figuring out the games' mechanics slowly and surely. The three sat in the bedroom floor. Kaya was the only one who was not sitting cross-legged, instead either standing up or sitting on her knees while playing.

After playing for three hours, Kaya became tired and fell asleep once more. San half jokingly suggested she and Ashitaka wrestle despite knowing the house was too small for any sort of scuffle. The storm outside was still hammering the town and forest. Ashitaka and San were becoming restless inside the hut. Ashitaka began to spontaneously think of something to help pass the time: patching up San's dress (which clearly showed how long she had lived in the forest), carving something into some spare wooden planks he had brought home thinking he would use them to help rebuild several years ago, possibly go to the gathering hall when Kaya woke up. San considered the first and second idea while predictably rejecting the third. After a brief moment of deciding what to do, they chose the first idea.

* * *

Sewing the holes and tears in San's dress took the two an hour to complete. The hem of the dress was still fringed but the rest of it was in much better condition that before. Kaya woke up while they were working and began to play with a few dolls in the dresser. She pretended the dolls were soldiers and began to smash them together in a fake fight. After a little while longer San and Ashitaka decided that they would practice their hand-to-hand fighting, albeit at a much slower speed than normal. Kaya didn't seem particularly interested in what her parents were doing. San's slow kicks to Ashitaka's forearm, his pulled punches that were easily dodged, and her holds that he was able to slip out of all seemed like some sort of dance to her.

* * *

After hours of various activities to stave off boredom, Ashitaka and San began to prepare dinner for Kaya. The rain had not yet ceased and the dark skies became nearly pitch black when the night came.

While Ashitaka was stirring a pot of soup, he heard a knock at the door and went to answer it. When he opened the door, he saw a short elderly woman dressed in heavy clothing standing at the front door. She seemed completely oblivious to the the storm.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but do you want to come inside?" Ashitaka asked.

"No, but thank you," She replied with a light smile, "I just wanted to know if you had any amazake."

Amazake. Rice wine. Ashitaka knew many of the townspeople drank it but he had never tried it before. "Sorry," He said as he shook his head, "I don't keep any around the house."

The woman dipped her head and continued on the road. As she left, Ashitaka noticed that the grass around the area she was standing on had withered up and died. Ashitaka was surprised. He was sure they were fine when he last saw them. What he also found odd was the woman; he had never seen her before in Irontown and he knew many of the townspeople there. "Excuse me, miss!" He called to her. The woman momentarily paused and turned her head to Ashitaka, showing off her small smile before continuing on her path. Ashitaka looked on as she went to the next house. He couldn't hear her over the sound of the rain but he assumed she asked whoever lived there the same question. A moment later, the woman came inside the house. Ashitaka popped back into his own dwelling and closed the door. His head and upper body had been drenched by the rain.

San and Kaya were already at the table, waiting for Ashitaka. He joined after he changed into his nightclothes, seeing how he wouldn't be leaving for a while and would be going to sleep soon. San asked Ashitaka who he was talking to at the door.

"An elderly woman," He replied, "I don't know her name, though. I don't think I've seen her in Irontown before."

"Maybe she's from that other human settlement," San said as she slurped some soup, "the one on the other side of the mountains."

"Maybe." Ashitaka muttered, though he found it doubtful. The city to the west was much larger than Irontown.

Kaya finished her food quickly. She went back to the bedroom and began to play with the cards. She didn't play any of the games Ashitaka had taught her and San. She scattered them around the floor and began to shuffle them around. Ashitaka and San finished soon after their daughter did. Ashitaka cleaned the bowls while San went to change into her nightclothes and put Kaya to sleep. After he finished cleaning, Ashitaka lied down next to San and began to drift to sleep. Both hoped that the rain would pass during the night and that they would be able to go outside tomorrow, especially San, who despised being inside for too much time. Ashitaka felt that his nose was a bit runny but thought nothing of it as he fell asleep. San finally dozed off after she got on top of the blankets, feeling too warm under them due to the summer heat which didn't seem to dissipate during the night even with the heavy rain.

* * *

San awoke later at night to find Ashitaka thrashing around in his sleep. She noticed that the rain had stopped and breathed a sigh of relief that quickly dispersed when she saw her mate stirring violently. She grabbed Ashitaka's arm and stopped him from moving around.

"Ashitaka," She whispered, "are you alright?" Ashitaka simply groaned in response. She noticed that he was sweating. She doubted that it was from the heat, as it was substantially cooler than it was when they had gone to sleep. Ashitaka laid still as San placed a hand on his forehead. The instant her hand touched his head, she could feel him burning up. His face was red with fever and the breathing through his mouth was heavy. "You must be ill."

Ashitaka nodded slightly. "I feel horrible," He said exhaustively, "I've never been this sick before."

"Go back to sleep. I'll see if I can find something to help." San rolled off of the futon and went into the main room to find a cloth. She found a clean one hanging close to the pot and went into the washroom to dampen it. She dipped the white cloth into a basin of water and wrung out the excess liquid. She folded the cloth in half as she returned to the bedroom. She sat down next to Ashitaka and laid the washcloth across his forehead. The water tickled his skin as it trickled down to his pillow. She hoped that it would bring his fever down a bit. "How does your throat feel?"

"Dry, sore," Ashitaka replied in a raspy voice. He opened his eyes and massaged his temples. Doing so helped a headache that he was feeling.

"Do you want me to get you something to drink?"

"Just water."

San nodded and left to get Ashitaka a cup of water. Ashitaka looked over to the cradle that Kaya was sleeping in. He was relieved to see that she was still sleeping. As he examined her cradle, he knew that it wouldn't be long before she outgrew it and he and San would need to get her a futon to sleep on.

San returned with a red bowl  **-** the one he had brought with him from his old village- filled with water. Ashitaka sat up and thanked her as he took it from her hands and drank eagerly. San had the cloth on his head as he tilted back to drink from the bowl. After he finished, he set the bowl aside and lied back down. He shut his eyes tightly and held his head in agony. San joined him under the blanket and stroked his cheek.

"How did you get sick this quickly?" San wondered, "You were fine when you went to sleep."

"I don't know," Ashitaka replied, "I woke up earlier with my throat burning, my head pounding, and my body covered in sweat. It couldn't have been the rain; I dried myself off as soon as I closed the door."

"It wasn't something you caught outside; you've been inside all day."

Ashitaka thought of what it could have been that made him ill. It wasn't the ramen they had for supper, as he and San had cooked it the way they usually did. Nothing but the rain was out of the ordinary. The only other thing that he found remotely odd was the woman who showed up at his doorstep, asking for wine during the middle of a storm. That was when he remembered what else he found strange about her. The grass around her had shriveled up despite there being plenty of water.

"How would she have anything to do with this?" Ashitaka said out loud.

"Who?"

"The old woman who was here earlier. When she left, the grass around her had died. I don't know if she could have done this but I suppose we've both seen stranger."

San nodded. She believed that it could be possible that the woman somehow cursed Ashitaka. She knew that magic wasn't an everyday matter but she believed that there were humans that could use it. "Do you know anybody who could help you?"

"No, I should probably just get some sleep."

San nodded and lied back down. She didn't fall asleep immediately; she wanted to make sure that Ashitaka actually would fall asleep instead of laying awake all night. Fortunately, Ashitaka was able to rest and fell asleep after almost half-an-hour. San hoped that he would feel better in the morning. If not, she would have to go out and find somebody to treat his illness. Another priority she set was to find the old woman Ashitaka mentioned. San didn't intend to talk to her, she just wanted to see if it was possible that this woman could have cursed Ashitaka. She rested her head on her pillow and pulled the blanket over her body. She felt troubled as she fell asleep but didn't know why. Perhaps the next day she would feel less harrowed.


	3. Cover of Fog

Ashitaka had not improved when San awoke. His skin had become pale and his fever had worsened. When she asked him how he felt, he said that his throat was burning and that he had a blinding headache. Judging by the dark spots under his eyes, last night had been a miserable time for him. "I could go out into the forest and collect some ingredients to make a tonic for you," She suggested, "I don't have much else to do."

"What about Kaya?" Ashitaka asked with a raspy voice, "I can't take care of her like this and if I tried I would probably get her sick."

"Don't worry, I'll tell her you're not feeling well. She'll know not to bother you." San went over to see if Kaya was awake. The little girl's eyes were fluttering as she looked up to her mother.

"Good morning, mother," Kaya said as a smile formed on her face.

"Good morning, Moro," San greeted, calling Kaya by her middle name as always, "Listen, mother needs to go to the forest for a while and I won't be back for a few hours. Don't bother your father while I'm gone; he is very ill."

Kaya's smile instantly turned upside down. Her expression changed from one of happiness to a look of great concern. Her eyes began to well up with tears. San hoped that Kaya wouldn't cry. She was a bundle of emotion and expressed her feelings without any barrier. "Will he be okay?"

"Yes, he just needs some rest and some medicine."

"Is that why you're going to the forest?"

San nodded. She smiled to assure her daughter that Ashitaka would be alright. "You can still talk to him but he can't play with you, okay?"

"Yes, mother."

San patted Kaya on the head and gave her a quick lick on the cheek before she left. Before she left, she changed into her normal dress. She also put on her half-mask, brushing back the headdress. Just before she left the hut, she grabbed her knife and spear. She felt that it would be a good idea to bring them along in case they were needed.

Outside, the sky was still gray and a dense fog was hanging over the mountains. San didn't like it at all; not only was the weather the opposite it what it should have been, but it was very bleak and disheartening. Still, that wasn't going to stop her. With her dagger hanging from her belt and her spear gripped firmly in her right hand, she marched to the front gate. She stopped by the stables but found that Yakul was not back. Then she remembered that Ashitaka had let him out to roam around in the forest. Even though she could easily move through the forest, it would have taken her less time to gather what she needed if she had his help.

As she was about to leave through the rising gates, she was stopped hastily by a woman carrying a basket of leaves.

"W-" The woman began before biting her bottom lip to stop herself from calling San "wolf girl", "Excuse me, San, but can you point me towards Ashitaka's house? I need to bring something to him."

"He's ill," San told her, "I'm going out to get some things to help him recover."

"Oh dear..." The woman's eyes drifted to the basket of leaves she was carrying. San recognized them as cedar leaves. "I guess that means you two were visited by an old woman?"

San was shocked and suspicious at the same time. She didn't think that any of the humans would have been outside when Ashitaka was talking with the elderly woman. "How did you know?"

"She has gone to several houses and every resident who has spoken with her has fallen ill. They all mentioned her when we asked them how they thought they could have become sick. They all mentioned an old woman asking for amazake. That's when we knew what caused them to become to ill."

"How can an old woman make a human ill?"

"Well, Jigo thinks that the woman may be a hag." San was confused. From what she had gathered, hags were annoying old women.

"And?"

"Not the normal kind of hag. Jigo thinks that she is the demonic type that curses you if you speak with her."

 _Not again,_  San thought. She had hoped that there would be no more demons after Hanto had died. "I didn't know humans could become demons."

"Oh, these demons aren't like the ones you and Ashitaka have killed. These types are much more subtle and cunning. They are almost unheard of, but I guess something happened in Irontown to attract this one." The woman reached into her basket and pulled out one of the leaves. "It is said that hanging a cedar leaf over your front door will keep the hag away. If she does knock on your door, she won't curse you if you don't answer."

 _Great, now they're smart,_  San sighed and looked towards the fog hanging over the mountains. Now she wondered if the weather was being caused by demons. What if that woman she saw licking her hand a few nights ago happened to be some sort of demon. Combating mindless abominations like Kumo and Hanto were hard enough. How was she supposed to fight against an enemy that was craftier than she? What kind of powers did they possess? What if they came after her?

Or Ashitaka?

Or her daughter?

San clamped her teeth down and growled lowly. Without a word or even looking to the woman, she walked out the raised gates and towards the mountains. The gates crashed behind her as she trudged towards the fog. She felt no fear as she continued along the path, scanning the area around her at all times.

* * *

Once San reached the forest, she immediately took notice of the lack of wildlife. There was not a sound in the forest; even the kodama were absent. Everything was still and darkened by the thick gray fog, which made it almost impossible for San to see more than five feet in front of her. It made her uneasy; never before had the forest seemed to dead and barren to her. She kept her spear raised with both hands as she searched for what she needed to help Ashitaka. She hoped that she would be able to find everything she needed before nightfall. For the first time in her life, she didn't want to be in the forest.

San spent the next few hours gathering various berries and roots that she knew were useful for treating illnesses such as the one that had befallen Ashitaka. They were stuffed in several leather bags on her belt. She was glad to be done. The silence of the forest was not peaceful, it was maddening and unnatural. It didn't feel like the place she had called home for more than twenty years.

* * *

As San was returning to Irontown, she stopped when she finally heard a noise. However, it was not a bird, nor the rustling of bushes, nor the sound of a squirrel running along the branches of an overhead tree. Accompanying the noise was a familiar smell: the scent of humans. The noise she heard was whispering, though it was too quiet for her to make out. She raised her spear towards the direction of the voices, holding it steady as they continued to speak.

San suddenly felt something pierce her side, causing her to cry out in pain. She remained standing and still had her spear in her right hand. With her left, she felt the wound to see what had happened. She felt the metal tip and the wooden shaft of an arrow that had been shot into her. She growled as she broke the tip and tails off before sliding the rest of the shaft out of the wound. The arrow made a small tap as it fell to the ground. San returned her attention to the whispering she had heard, only to find they were now silent.

"Come out from where you're hiding!" San shouted. Just as she yelled into the dark fog, she lost feeling in her legs. She nearly collapsed but was able to keep herself up by planting her spear into the ground and balancing on it. The sudden weakness spread throughout her body and soon she found herself on her hands and knees, unable to move even a finger.

"Uh oh," She heard a voice from behind her say. Just before she blacked out, she saw two figures approach her. Due to the fog, all she saw were their silhouettes. One was slender and average height, the other was short and plump. She didn't see what the human behind her looked like. Her vision went dark as she felt herself drop to the ground.

* * *

San's head was pounding and her stomach felt terrible as she slowly began to wake up. She felt something sticky against her side, by her guess it was a bandage. She still remembered what had happened to her but didn't know where she was. When she shot open her eyes, she was blinded by light. She had to wait for a moment so her eyes could better adjust to the brightness.

"San," She heard Ashitaka's voice call, "San, are you awake?"

Home. She was home. She groaned and opened her eyes once more. This time, she was able to see more clearly. Ashitaka was sitting next to her and Kaya was holding her right arm, trembling. San noticed that Ashitaka looked much better; his skin was back to its normal tone and he didn't seem to have any trouble breathing. "How did I get back here?" She asked as she sat up.

"Jigo brought you back," Ashitaka replied, "he said he found you in the forest. He said that you were passed out with an arrow wound near your stomach, so he carried you back."

San frowned. Of all the humans she had come to tolerate, that human was the one she still had a truly burning hatred for. He was the one who she blamed most for the destruction of the forest after she learned that it was his rifles that killed her mother, Nago, and the Forest Spirit. She couldn't figure out why Ashitaka would bother with that short, little...

San thought back to the two humans she saw in the forest, particularly the short rotund man. Although she had not seen the man in a long time, she remembered how he looked like. Thinking back, the outline of one of the men she encountered did seem familiar. "I thought that he was imprisoned."

"He was, but Jigo is the only one who has any knowledge on demons. You see, other townspeople became sick and they were all visited by the same woman who came here asking for rice wine. Lady Eboshi promised him freedom if he helped to solve the problem."

"A woman told me about that earlier. Do you know where that man went?"

"Jigo?" San nodded in affirmation. "He went into the forests in the early in the morning to search for any clues. He said that he found you unconscious on the path."

"Ashitaka, I was shot by somebody."

"I know. Jigo had one of his men place a bandage on you. While you were resting, I tried to make that tonic you mentioned. I think it worked."

"I can tell, but that's not the point. When I felt the arrow go through me, I'm sure I saw that man and one of his minions. I think he had a third man with him because neither he or the man with him could have shot it. Also, I passed out on the path, I wasn't hit on the head with a club. The arrow must have been poisoned."

Ashitaka was taken aback. "Jigo wouldn't attack you San, not on purpose."

"Are you sure? Out of all of the humans I've had the displeasure of meeting, he is the worst."

"San, if it makes you feel any better, I'll talk to him once he gets back from the forest."

San nodded. She took Kaya and wrapped her in her arms. The little girl had been crying earlier out of worry for her mother. San sighed as she rustled Kaya's hair. "What about our daughter? What if this demon comes after her?"

Ashitaka tried to hide his unsureness but gulped. "Then we do our best to protect her."

San looked down at Kaya with eyes that revealed worry. "At least there's only one demon."

She was lying to herself. She felt that there was more than one demon, two at least when she recalled the woman on the roof. Both she and Ashitaka hoped that the monsters would simply leave after some time had passed. If they didn't, then they would do the only thing they could: protect their daughter from harm.

 


	4. Mercenary Work

Ashitaka sat on a bench nearby Lady Eboshi's house as he awaited Jigo's return. He was hoping that San was wrong about Jigo, that she either mistook him with whoever it was she saw or that it was a major misunderstanding. Still, Jigo was not a predictable man. He could have attacked San as revenge for her and Ashitaka stopping him from taking the Forest Spirit's head back to the Emperor. He wasn't sure if the monk was even going to return. He was sure that Lady Eboshi would have only released Jigo if he was truly needed and trusted her judgment. He was the only one in Irontown who knew a great deal about demons, spirits, and other unworldly beings. Seeing as to how he approached these beings with confidence, he was the best choice for discovering what was happening around Irontown.

After nearly two hours of waiting, Ashitaka caught a glimpse of Jigo going to a noodle shop. Accompanying him were two of his hunters, one slim and one of a slightly heavier build. As far as Ashitaka knew, they were the only hunters left in the town; the rest were either dead or had left and gone somewhere else. The two who remained now worked as guards.

Ashitaka approached the three as Jigo sat down and ordered his meal. The two hunters saw Ashitaka and walked away.

"Hey, where are you going?" Jigo asked as they left. He felt somebody tap him on the shoulder and turned to see Ashitaka, who did not seem pleased. Jigo studied the young man for a short while and guessed why. "That girl of yours told you that I had something to do with that gash on her side, didn't she?"

Ashitaka nodded. "She said that she saw you and her hunters before one of you shot her."

Jigo sighed and said, "Well, she isn't lying. I'll admit that it was one of my hunters who fired, but I didn't give the command. The boy who shot her did so by impulse. You see, we were out there searching for any demons, like the one that made you and about ten others sick. There are many types of things we could run into: Onryō, ikiryō, hihi... there are far too many of these creatures for me to list and they all have a different power. For example, I saw a woman sitting on a rooftop licking her hand while it was raining. That spirit actually has a name; she's called Ameonna and she brings rain. She isn't particularly malevolent and is sometimes relied upon to bring rain to crops. Still, I don't think anybody in this town called for her because when I asked if anybody knew her name, not one person said 'yes'. I believe that what makes this area such a hotbed for spirits and demons is because of the amount of fighting that as gone on here."

"If all of the violence is what has caused spirits to arrive here, are they common in other places?"

"Far from it; I'm willing to bet that the fact several forest gods have died around here is one reason they're so attracted to Irontown, which is some bad hindsight in my part... then again, I was sure I would be sitting on a hill of gold at this point. Anyway, some spirits come back after dying in battle and seek vengeance for their death. Do you know what that means?"

Ashitaka thought for a moment before replying, "That those who died in the struggle between Irontown and the forest could come back?"

"Yes, but they wouldn't be themselves. They'd be much more malevolent and wouldn't give a damn about who or what killed them. What makes it worse is that they don't always appear human; some appear as hands, small balls of fire, and I even know of a type of demon that disguises itself as a wall! On occasion, they have unworldly physical forms; think blue skin with horns."

"What exactly would they want with Irontown?"  
Jigo slurped some noodles and shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. Demons and spirits aren't exactly mindless, but they don't seem to have much variety in what they do. They're like animals, except animals barely think when they are looking for prey. Spirits often wait, sometimes for months, before they act. They're a pain to get rid of too, some more than others. Some traders I met up north are experts in dealing with demons, just not the type we know of."

"What kind of demons do they deal with, then?"

"I don't know. They're from some far away land. They're the ones who introduced us to gunpowder, so I'm willing to bet they know what they're talking about. Anyway, they won't be of much help but I just wanted to show you how many types of monsters there are. While me and my friends were up there, we were on our toes the entire time. Those two are skittish, so whenever we heard even the slightest sound, they would turn and notch their arrows. When we ran into that crazy girl, our first thought was that she was a demon since we were told that nobody was supposed to leave Irontown. The fog out there was thick, so the only thing we saw was that pelt of hers."

Jigo sighed and ate some more of his soup before continuing, "When you were off looking for that wolf a few years ago, what did you feel? Were you shaking? Scared? Paranoid? I'll be honest with you, boy, I was none of those things when I was in that fog." Jigo had a big grin on his face that made Ashitaka feel like the monk wasn't being truthful. "My friends, however, are not me and scare like rabbits. So do you see why we, or rather they, mistook her for a demon?"

Ashitaka understood and nodded. Still, he felt like Jigo was more at fault than the two hunters. He bowed his head and returned home to San and Kaya. While he was walking back, he noticed that there were fewer people outside than there usually was. He attributed this to Lady Eboshi's decree which prohibited people from exiting town for the time being. He wondered how San got around the decree. One thought was that she sneaked out of Irontown. Another, and the one he thought most plausible, was that she didn't view herself as one of Irontown's residents and simply left. In truth, even he didn't see her as one of the townspeople. In essence she was an outsider but that didn't mean he didn't love her.

When he came home, Ashitaka saw San doing stretches while Kaya was playing with the toys that mesmerized her so.

"Are you sure you're not going to aggravate that lesion on your side?" He asked as he closed the door.

"I've had worse and still managed more strenuous activity," San remarked as she stretched one of her arms. Ashitaka noticed that they still had scars on them from they fought Hanto. Much like the mark Nago left on his arm, the scars never completely faded. "Did you talk to that human yet?"

Ashitaka nodded, "He told me that he didn't know that you were there and his hunters mistook you for a demon. They were searching for the demon that caused people in Irontown to become sick along with whatever spirits they could find."

"What other spirits could be around here?"

"Jigo told me that there are many possibilities. For one, he said that the woman you and I saw licking her hand during the storm was a spirit who brings rain. According to him, there are many varieties of spirits and demons and they all have a different ability. From what he gathered, the reason they're coming to Irontown is because they're attracted by the death and destruction, particularly the deaths of the forest gods."

"So you're telling me that somewhere in the forest or beyond is a host of spirits that are making a pilgrimage to this place? Why would they even come here?"

"I don't know what they would do here. Jigo said that they act somewhat upon instinct, or at least, that's what I gathered from him."

"What kind of demons did he mention?"

"He mentioned a few who I've never heard of before. He also said that some don't appear as humans do. He said they look like hands, balls of fire, and one looks like a wall. You can ask him-"

"No."

* * *

Kaya had already fallen asleep while San and Ashitaka lay awake. They felt tired but were unable to sleep for very long before waking up. They were listening to hear anything outside. Ashitaka wondered if it was going to rain. San was listening for anything outside the hut, particularly any of the demons or spirits that Ashitaka had mentioned. On occasion, her eyes drifted to the wall; she wished he had never brought up the ways a spirit could appear.

After what felt like several hours, the two heard some sort of commotion outside. It sounded like a scuffle but it was distant. San immediately hopped to her feet and rushed outside. Ashitaka followed after her to see what was going on.

Irontown was well lit at night by many paper lanterns hanging outside peoples' homes. Ashitaka and San were able to quickly find what was causing all of the noise. They saw Jigo fighting against a black haired man in white clothing. Ashitaka almost called for them to stop until he noticed two things about the man Jigo was battling against. For one, the man's hands were dangling at his wrists and did little more than flop when the man in white dodged one of the attacks Jigo was making with a spear. What stood out the most was a pair of orbs floating around the man in white. The orbs appeared to be made of fire and were colored green. Jigo noticed Ashitaka and San as he quickly stumbled away from a flail the man in white threw.

"Don't bother trying to help!" He shouted, "You wouldn't be able to harm this thing!"

Just then, the man in white paused and turned to face Ashitaka and San. He didn't turn his whole body; he rotated his head and neck, creating a cracking sound that sent a chill down Ashitaka and San's spine. The man's face was pale and covered in blood. The mouth seemed torn at the edges and revealed rows of sharp teeth as he grinned. Ashitaka took a step back and San gasped in horror. They knew that the thing was one of the demons Jigo had mentioned.

The monk took this opportunity to the spear he was carrying through the spirit. The pale faced monster's eyes went wide as it looked down to see the metal head of Jigo's spear poking out through its chest. The two will-o-wisps accompanying the demon began to faze away. The spirit itself began to blow away, its form tearing itself apart like paper. Soon, nothing of the monster remained. Jigo wiped the sweat off his forehead and stood before Ashitaka and San proudly.

"Well, I would say that ended well," He remarked, "I did what you two did to kill that wolf god and put water from that magic pond on my weapon. Didn't think it would strike the spirit at first but I'm thankful I'm wrong."

"What was that thing?" Ashitaka asked, looking towards the direction the shreds of the spirit had drifted off to.

"Basic spirit of a dead man, often called yurei or reikon where I come from. However, this one appeared to be a gaki or jikininki, a type of spirit that was greedy in life and is cursed in death with a craving for the flesh of human corpses... and feces."

Ashitaka was disgusted at both cravings. "Do they kill people?"

"I've never heard of a gaki killing anybody, they just take the meat off of already dead corpses. I can't say he'll stay gone but here's to hoping. Anyway, you two get back to whatever it is keeping you up at this hour."

Ashitaka nodded and bowed. San didn't say or do anything and followed Ashitaka back home.

"That thing was more horrifying than I imagined it would be." Ashitaka said.

"If there are more demons like it, there are probably ones that look even more terrifying." San commented.

"Well, they may look hideous but at least they don't harm people."

"That human said that the spirit he struck down didn't kill humans. He never said anything about the other types."

Ashitaka nodded and gulped. He had no idea what else they would encounter around Irontown. He also wondered why Jigo was fighting the spirit if it was supposedly harmless.


	5. Call to Action

San awoke with a sharp gasp uttered as she sat up from under the covers, her arms flying off her chest and smacking the ground to her left and Ashitaka to her right. Her palm grazed his temple and slapped him on the shoulder by accident, almost causing him to jump onto his feet. Once he realized that it was San that caused him to wake, he calmed himself and wrapped one arm around San's shoulders.

"San, are you alright?" He asked nervously as he saw sweat running down her forehead.

"I'm fine, I just had a terrible dream." She replied.

"What of?"

"I saw more of those monsters that have been appearing. They were in the forest, in this town, and there were so many of them."

"What were they doing?"

"They were chasing and attacking humans in the town and hunting animals in the forest. Some of them were actually killing people."

"Don't worry too much about it; the last time you had a nightmare, what actually happened turned out to be the exact opposite."

San nodded, recalling how her last nightmare, which had involved Hanto killing Ashitaka and her two brothers. "At least it's morning," San commented as sunlight broke through the curtains. Kaya was still asleep, ignorant to the events that had been troubling San, Ashitaka, and the humans of Irontown. Their deaths in her nightmare didn't bother her as much as the thought of so many monsters wreaking havoc did. As much as she disliked humans, demons were much worse. Nago became a demon and brought death wherever he roamed. Okkoto, sent mad by the loss of his warriors, became a mindless monster who led the humans to the home of the Forest Spirit. Even her own mother, poisoned by a human bullet, almost became a demon herself, though she was fortunate to have been spared this fate. Then there was Hanto, who had become a demon through sheer rage. The thought of containing that much rage, enough to turn one into a rampaging monster, was almost inconceivable to her, and she had spent most of her life harboring absolute detestation for humans. She felt that the spider was the worst of them all, as his ability to enslave the entirety of the ape tribe proved more terrifying than any amount of fangs and claws. She wished that they would simply cease to exist; they did no good to the world.

Opening the curtains, Ashitaka could see that townspeople had gathered near the town square. "I wonder what's going on there," He said as several more people came to the square, "Lady Eboshi must be making a decree."

Ashitaka changed into his normal outfit and told San he was going to see what was going on in the town. San nodded and said that she would wait with Kaya.

As he neared the still-growing crowd, Ashitaka began to hear murmurs amongst the townspeople. Mutterings of taking action were audible. The tone of each voice rang with fear and concern.

Ashitaka approached one of the townspeople and asked what was going on. "Everyone's come to ask Lady Eboshi to do something about the spirits around the area," The man replied, "many of them want to have you go out into the forest and see if something from there is causing this."

"Why me?"

"Well, you're the only one whose had any real encounters with spirits and demons, other than that Jigo guy, but nobody trusts him. Plus, your wife is the only one who knows the forest very well."

Ashitaka nodded, understanding why the townspeople would want his help, though for once in his life he felt a little more than reluctant with having to fight monsters. He knew that fathering a child would change his life, though he may have underestimated how much of a change it would be. Even San had changed, having become calmer and far less hostile towards other humans.

At last, Lady Eboshi came from her home to address the gathered folk. She had on her standard dress, folded and pinned to cover where her arm had been lost. Standing confident and with a hint of a smile on her face, she spoke with power and articulation to the people, "I know that many of you have become concerned with the creatures that have been wandering in and around our town," She rang over the crowd, silencing their whispers, "I too have encountered one of these specters. We must not begin to panic if we are to stand against these beings. I have heard your pleas for help and your calls to action and have already created a solution: we shall send Jigo and his remaining hunters to investigate the forest."

Lady Eboshi's plan created a mixed response in the crowd. While half thought that it was the best solution, seeing as to how Jigo was a monk who had likely studied about spirits, others still believed him to be a man who was willing to sell the town for a small pouch of gold. Those against sending Jigo also claimed that he was not in the shape to venture through the forest, calling him unfit, old, and fat. Ashitaka scanned the crowd but could not see Jigo. He guessed that the monk was with his two companions.

"I know that many of you are against accepting his help, but you must realize that he has helped us before."

"Does it have to be him, though?" One man called.

"Who would you send?" Eboshi's volume meant that she was not only asking the man who questioned her, but the entirety of the crowd as well.

"What about Ashitaka?" One woman suggested. Waves of agreement arose in the crowd.

Eboshi raised her hand to silence them, "Ashitaka has helped us many times in the past," She shot a quick glance and smiled at Ashitaka, "and has been detrimental in Irontown's recovery. However, we cannot rely on him for every problem we have, especially now that he has a family that he needs to worry about. If I felt that he would be absolutely needed, I would have him go into the forest with Jigo. Yet we do not know why it is these spirits have come to us, so we cannot fully assess the danger which may present itself in the forest."

"Then we should send more than a few people!" Another cried from the crowd.

Before another clamor could begin, Eboshi began speaking once more, "Look at it this way, then: if the danger is indeed far greater than we believe, we will only lose more of our friends, brothers, mothers, sisters, fathers, sons, and daughters if we send more than a few scouts to the forest. I'm sending Jigo for more than his expertise with otherworldly creatures, but he also has little to lose if he is sent, and a great deal to gain if he is to return successfully."

"You're paying him?"

"He's a mercenary; money makes him move."

"But he can barely hold a gun straight!"

"That's a load of horse piss," Jigo proclaimed as he broke through the crowd along with his two remaining hunters. Time in prison had slimmed the monk down slightly and his facial hair had grown longer. In his hands, he carried one of the four guns remaining in Irontown. "I am not only the most accurate gunman in this town," He boasted, "but I can also outrun practically everyone here and beat them in a fist fight, so you think twice about who you call unfit!"

"You're giving him one of our rifles?" A man from the crowd inquired.

"They were mine first; I have every right to use one." Jigo turned to Lady Eboshi and said, "I serve almost five years hard-time and they still don't give me a break?"

"Well, you did try to poison our food supply." She remarked.

"True, but that was when I actually had a reputation."

"You still do; a bad one." As Jigo smirked, Eboshi once again refocused on the crowd, "If anybody has any suggestions on how to deal with this current situation, I implore you speak up now." Other than a few minor whispers from the crowd, the people remained silent. "Good. I just want you all to know that I would not have chosen Jigo unless there were a better solution. Jigo, I want you to take your hunters and explore the forest to see if you could discover the source of these creatures. Everyone else, you are to return to your homes and work unless your profession requires you to be outside the town's walls."

Quickly, the crowd dissipated as the townspeople returned to their duties. Ashitaka was about to leave when Jigo and Lady Eboshi approached him. "Must be nice having someone else take care of this problem, huh?" Jigo asked.

"Actually, it is comforting," Ashitaka replied, "I would probably worry too much about San or Kaya if I was ."

"I'm sure that they'd be fine," Eboshi said, "They would probably be more worried of you than you'd be of them. As for you, Jigo, it seems that your speech succeeded in persuading everyone to have you go to the forest."

"Well, this isn't the first time I've done something like this," He said with a grin, "Oh, don't look so shocked, boy," He told Ashitaka, who was visibly surprised, "it isn't like I told her that she has to do this; it was only a recommendation."

"Do you really think he's the best solution to the spirits in Irontown?" Ashitaka asked.

"You're not doubting me, are you?" Jigo inquired. Ashitaka shook his head.

"He really is the best man for this job," Eboshi said, "If I didn't have any faith in him, I would have sent for you, though I might have decided to hire outside help instead."

"Why is that?"

"For several reasons, none of which are meant to offend you: first of all, I don't want everyone to constantly rely on you to have to handle situations like this. If you're sick or hurt, for example, I want them to know that there are other solutions to our problems. Before it was you, they all looked to me fix every one of their problems. I helped as often as I could, but when there were times where I was unable to assist them, they seemed lost. Second, you have a family now, and I'm not doing this simply because you're married to my daughter. I've seen many people die, Ashitaka, be it due to disease or war. When the deceased's relatives receive word that their mother or father or son or daughter, whomever it may be, has died, it's very difficult to watch no matter how many times you have witnessed the scene. Your wife my not think fondly of me, and I must admit that I barely consider her to be a resident of Irontown, but that wouldn't make watching her break down if I ever had to tell her that you were killed while trying to help us. That is why I chose Jigo to carry out this task. In fact, it was his idea for me to mention that he had nothing to lose and nobody who would grieve for him."

"It's true," Jigo chimed in, "I was basically raised in the monastery where I did most of my training. Still, I didn't really like anyone there and was far more interested in traveling. That evolved into my future career as a mercenary, a career where I had next to no close relationships and where there was plenty of money to be made."

"Do you see now why I want you to remain in Irontown and stay safe?"

Ashitaka smiled and replied, "Of course, Milady. I was never offended, simply curious like the rest of the townspeople must be."

"They'll accept the idea soon enough, or at least forget that I sent Jigo in the first place," She turned to Jigo and the two hunters and said to them, "Jigo, I want you and your two friends to go to the forest within an hour."

"Shouldn't be a problem," He said confidently. He gestured the two hunters to follow him and headed towards the gate.

"How did you ever meet him?" Ashitaka asked.

"He met me," Lady Eboshi replied, "he had heard of the problems we were having in Irontown and offered his help for a price: the Forest Spirit's head. Technically, I made the payment."

The two spoke only a while longer, during which Lady Eboshi mentioned inviting Ashitaka to her house later in the week, before Ashitaka bowed and returned to San. When he arrived, she was teaching Kaya about the various herbs he kept around his hut. He doubted that she would remember their names or purpose if she was asked about them the next day, but was happy to see that she was starting to learn about them.

"Did you learn why there were so many humans gathered outside?" San asked as Ashitaka sat down next to her.

"Yes, they wanted Lady Eboshi to find out why there have been spirits in Irontown," He replied, "She sent Jigo into the forest to investigate."

"Him? Are you sure?"

"If I didn't trust him, I would probably still be with Lady Eboshi, attempting to persuade her to send someone else."


	6. A Cryptid Beast

At the end of the two weeks that San had spent in Irontown, she was anxious to return to the forest. When she would visit Ashitaka, she was usually able to spend time close to the forest when he would patrol the farmlands. However, since he and the other humans had been ordered to remain behind the walls of the town, she had remained indoors for an uncomfortable amount of time. She licked Kaya's cheek and went to the front door. Ashitaka put Kaya in her crib and kissed her goodnight. He returned to San to see her off.

"Are you sure you want to go back now?" He asked, "That mist is still there and Jigo hasn't come back yet."

"I'll be fine," She assured him, "I know the forest better than anybody and know of a few places where I can go if I ever find myself in trouble."

Ashitaka was unsure, but he knew that it would be near-impossible to try and stop San from returning to her home. He held her tightly and told her to return to Irontown in case she ever needed anything. She nodded, though he doubted she would come even if she was in grave danger. Ashitaka walked with her to the gates. The gate guard initially refused, saying that Eboshi had ordered the gates remain shut no matter what. San frowned and instead ran to the top of one of the guard towers and hopped off of the wall.

"Oh my gosh!" One of the gate guards cried out, "Miss, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," San responded from the other side. Ashitaka breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how many times he had seen San jump off of high places, he always had a slight panic whenever she would perform such stunts. He hoped that San wouldn't try to teach Kaya how to leap off great heights until she was older. Still, what caused him greater concern was the mist that had blanketed the forest. It was so thick that he could barely see the trees. He remembered several days ago that Yakul was still out there somewhere. His worries weren't helping him very much; he had stopped tying his hair in a bun, instead letting it fall over his shoulders, and his eyes had developed dark spots below them. It made him want to run out into the forest to find his dear old friend, though he was forbidden from leaving. He thought that perhaps speaking with Lady Eboshi would help clear his mind. She had invited him over, after all, and she was a wonderful conversationalist.

Before he lay in bed, he checked on Kaya to see if she was alright. The young girl was often very quiet, though it was the silence at night that was causing him to worry. Seeing her safe in her crib made him smile with relief as he returned to his futon to rest so he could be alert for guard duty (which he had been assigned to until Jigo had dealt with the problem in the forest) the next morning. Still, the unnerving silence made it hard for him to fall asleep. It would take another two hours before he finally slumbered.

In the forest, San made haste to her den. She hurried through the trees and bramble, cutting her exposed legs but ignoring the stings. Something was wrong in the forest, she was sure of it. She had never seen or even heard of these creatures before. On the way to the den, she was sure she heard the roaring of a beast in the distance. She stopped for a moment to listen. To her, it sounded like one of the apes, though it was louder and raspier than the usual ape screech. She didn't care to find out at this point.

When she finally arrived at her home, she scurried up to the cave and backed away from the entrance. As she was moving towards the back of the cave, she bumped into something large and furry, causing her to yelped in shock and whirl around. Thought it was dark, the moon and the stars were bright enough to show that it was Yakul, who was now against the back of the cave. He had been scared by San's near scream. San stood silent for a moment before she began to laugh. She went over to Yakul and stroked his neck and muzzle.

"Ashitaka has been worried sick about you," She told him, "why haven't you come back to Irontown?"

Yakul told her that he had tried several times already. However, when he kept nearing the edge of the forest, he would hear a roar that would become louder if he continued towards the gate. San wondered if it was the same roar she had heard moments ago. Perhaps whatever creature was screeching saw Jigo or one of his hunters leaving the forest.

"What if I went with you to the gates? Do you think that would make it easier for you?"

Yakul gave a positive response, though advised that they exhibited caution.

"Then we'll leave in the morning. Hopefully by then it will be easier to see through this mist."

Jigo laid curled up in his boar fur blanket with a single eye glaring at the beast. The Hibagon had become enraged when they had tried to leave the forest. He was unsure why; the rumors he had heard of the beast didn't make it seem any more intelligent than the average monkey. Still, he decided to tempt fate and ordered his two hunters to set up camp several meters closer to the forest's edge. A rifle lay close to his hands. Just one swift movement and he would be able to place an iron bullet in the monster's belly, shatter its spine, and end its life. He decided to wait it out first. The beast could be smarter than he believed, it could even know the properties of a rifle.

"Why don't you go bother some of the apes?" Jigo groaned. He wanted the creature to be gone more for its stench than anything else. It was not very tall; standing at only five feet in height, even the Wolf Girl was taller. Its skin was charcoal in color, its face a rich brown, and its hands and feet were white as fresh winter snow. Its stench, however, its overpowering odor smelled strongly of rotting human flesh. Jigo continued to watch until it was becoming too difficult to stay awake. He nudged one of the other hunters and ordered him to watch the monster. Hopefully this man wouldn't be a coward; Jigo had to practically pin the other man down when they first heard the beast roar.

Jigo was suddenly awakened by another one of the Hibagon's roars. He scurried to his feet with his rifle pointed to where he last saw the beast. Just as his gun was aimed perfectly, he saw the beast fleeing.

"What did you do to it?" He asked the hunter he had guard.

"Nothing, sir," The hunter replied as he put a hat on to block the sun from hurting his eyes, "it began to shriek all of a sudden, then it turned tail and ran off." Jigo scratched his chin for a moment and nodded. "Are we going after it?"

"No, we aren't. Just get ready to move northeast. I have a theory, though I'm still unsure on whether or not I'm correct."

"Yes, sir,"

San's legs gripped tightly around Yakul as the elk began to fly through the forest. She kept her head low so as not to be hit by any low branches. Just in case any branches did scrape her, she had her half-mask pulled over the top half of her face. Her fingers were dug deeply into Yakul's fur. She now knew why Ashitaka used a saddle when riding Yakul.

"Come on, we're almost there," She said as Yakul leapt over a fallen log, causing her to bounce. From the distance, both heard the roar of the same beast San had heard the night before. Yakul stopped dead in his tracks, causing San to almost flip over the elk's head. "Don't stop now," She pleaded, "you will be safe behind the walls." Yakul took two steps back before finding the courage to continue on. He dashed forward, ignoring the roars which seemed to be closer than before. Fortunately, San had her spear and her knife in case they were in any trouble.

As they neared the edge of the forest, the beast in the forest roared again. But sunlight was visible and the walls of Irontown were in sight. Yakul galloped with lightning speed, eager to return home and away from whatever had been creating those horrific shrieks. He burst through the forest's edge, making a dash for the walls. The shriek came again, though this time it sounded much closer. San turned her head and saw something leap out from the trees. She guessed that it was what was roaring, though it was smaller than she expected. It resembled an ape, standing five feet in height with black fur, a brown face, and white hands and feet.

"Go!" She commanded Yakul as she jumped off his back, sliding onto the ground. She drew her spear and raised the head towards the creature. The beast turned its attention to her, just as she had hoped. The creature charged towards her on its hands and feet. She thought that it could have been one of the apes turned into a demon, perhaps one shot by that human. If that were true, she would deal with him later.

She thrust her spear towards the ape-like creature, only for it to catch her strike with one of its white paws. It tried throwing her, though San was able to pull her spear back before it could release. She danced around the creature, goading it with her weapon. While she tried to make it charge at her again, she saw the gates had lifted and Yakul was safely inside.

"Miss!" One of the gate guards called, "You better come inside!"

"No!" She shouted back, "I need to kill this thing first!"

San ducked just in time to avoid one of the beast's strikes. The claws on its paw cut through her hair, causing her ponytail to come loose and hair to cover her face. She threw her head back so she could see more clearly, just in time to dodge another swing from the creature. She swung her spear, hitting the beast in the neck with the pole of her spear. It stumbled as she thrust at it again. This time the beast caught her spear and threw it out of her hands. She cursed under her breath as she drew her dagger, holding it in a reverse grip.

From behind her, an arrow lodged itself into the beast's right shoulder. It let out another shriek and grabbed at it with its paw. "San!" She heard. She quickly glanced behind her to see Ashitaka with another arrow ready to fire. She moved out of the way, prompting him to let the second arrow fly through the air and strike the ape-like monster in the belly. San took advantage and thrust her dagger downwards, striking the creature on the top of its head. The beast suddenly stopped moving. Its arms became limp as it collapsed to the ground. San pulled the dagger out of its skull, having to press her foot against its head for support. She felt the back of her head to see if she had been cut by its swing, though found no discernible injury. She stared at the beast's body to see if it truly was a demonized ape. Its flesh did not dissolve like those of the demons she had encountered previously, so she guessed that it was some other type of creature she had never seen before.

"San, are you alright?" She heard Ashitaka ask behind her.

"I'm fine," She replied as she turned to face him, removing her mask, "I just came to bring Yakul back home."

He breathed a sigh of relief and held her tightly. When he released her he asked, "What kind of animal was that?"

"None that I've ever seen before. Yakul told me that it was keeping him from returning to you."

"Yes, I saw him come through the gates. Thank you for bringing him back. I'm sure Kaya will be excited to see him again."

"Where is she?"

"With Lady Eboshi."

San involuntarily began to clench her fist, though she released her grip quickly. "I should return to the forest now. This place... I have too many horrible memories of this place."

Ashitaka dipped his head. "I understand. I'll see you in two weeks, then."

San felt somber seeing Ashitaka skulk like this. The recent events occurring around Irontown had been taking their toll; he had been losing sleep and was constantly worried about San and Kaya. San thought that perhaps he felt safer and more comfortable when she was nearby. "Ashitaka?"

"Yes, San?"

"If you want me to stay with you for a while longer..."

"No, it's alright. I know you don't like Irontown and I don't want to make you stay if you don't want to."

"Alright. I'll see you soon." She pulled her mask over her face and returned to the forest. Ashitaka wanted to stop her and say that he did want her to stay with him. However, he knew that San would be happier in the forest. Besides, the amount of sightings of spirits in the town had decreased and Kaya seemed unaffected by the creatures plaguing the town. Perhaps everything would clear up soon.


	7. A Demon's Brood

San lay half-awake staring at the bright yellow moon hanging in the midnight sky. One hand brushed back her hair, which she had cut short earlier in the day, causing her to look like she did five years ago. The forest was near silent, the way it had been for the past five nights. It wasn't right; she should have been hearing crickets chirping, bats fluttering out of caves, and nocturnal creatures scampering through bushes. Instead, the demons, spirits, ghosts, whatever it was that had come to the forest had caused the animals to remain within their dens and burrows. San had been hoping that whatever these things were, they would have passed after a few more days. They did not seem to be fading. Instead they only seemed to manifest in increasing succession. With each encounter she had with one of the spirits, they became stranger in appearance. Earlier in the day, she had stopped to rest at a tree when she heard laughing. She glanced upwards and saw that the tree bore fruit resembling the faces of humans, each one of them laughing quietly or smiling silently. She immediately left, not wanting one of them to fall into her lap. She longed for her brothers' company.

San's eyes began to flutter from fatigue before shooting open. The sound of a biwa was playing in the distance. She had memorized the sound of the instrument in Irontown, when it was occasionally exhibited during a gathering in what had once been the ironworks. But she was too far from Irontown to be able to hear the vibrations of its strings being plucked, even with her heightened senses. Actively listening, she could tell that it was coming from somewhere else in the forest, not in the direction of Irontown. She knew that that human and his two henchmen were in the forest, though she didn't think they could play the biwa. She became curious. She stood and picked up her spear and dagger. She continued listening to the strings being played as she climbed down the side of the den.

San kept a tight grip on her spear as she wandered in the direction of the music. Its hypnotizing melody traveled with the wind. Curiously, the music did not echo in the forest. San didn't notice; the music had become enticing and filled her with a strange sense of ecstasy. She wished to be closer, closer to the music so she could listen with greater clarity. She climbed over rocks and hopped over logs as she began to make her way up a steep hill. She could now see where the music was coming from: a small shack built upon a stony foundation on the side of the mountain. The sight of the shack broke her trance, as she could not remember there being one before. She had been to this part of the forest only days before she visited Ashitaka.

The shack was made of old, splintery wood. The thatch roof had a large hole towards the front. It appeared abandoned, though she could clearly hear the sound of a biwa being played from within. The ground around the shack was mostly dirt with little grass. When she came around to the other side of the dwelling, she saw that there was no door. She peeked her head in and caught glimpse of a young woman masterfully strumming a red biwa in her hands as she sat cross-legged on the floor. The woman was not much older than San, perhaps twenty-six or twenty-seven. Her skin was as pale as snow and her lips were cherry red. Her obsidian-black hair was perfectly straight and her bangs covered her forehead. She was covered by a black silk kimono adorned by a white floral design. The woman was barefoot, though a

"Ah, I was wondering when I would attract a visitor," She said, "though you are not somebody who I have been... anticipating."

"Who are you?" San asked bluntly.

"That depends on who you ask, dear," San mouthed "what" at the woman's response, prompting the mysterious lady to giggle. "Why not stay and listen? It's been a long time since I've had a woman come and enjoy my music."

"I want to know who you are and how you got here. This hut wasn't here a few weeks ago."

The woman simply continued smiling. She stood from the floor, still playing her biwa, and moved closer to San. San drew her dagger, feeling it was better suited for closed spaces than her spear, and prepared to jump at the woman. The woman stopped several feet before San and continued to strum the instrument. San kept her knife in a reverse grip, waiting for the woman to say or do something.

"Don't you want to relax?" The woman asked in a soft voice, "Why not remove that troublesome dress you have on and relax with me?" She suggested as she motioned to a pile of pillows in the corner of the room. San stood firm as the woman continued to move closer. She began to play her biwa again. The music soothed San, making her lower her arm as the notes resonated through the air. "See? Was that so bad?"

San's arms dropped to her side as the woman moved behind her. The instinct to defend herself had been lost in the sound of the woman's music. The woman laid her head on San's shoulder's, though she was barely paying attention to anything but the music. She failed to notice a pair of fangs grow from the woman's mouth along with two pairs of extra arms extrude from her kimono.

A piercing shriek caused San's trance to break once more. She was pushed to the ground by the six armed woman. "Go away!" She hissed, "This one is mine!"

San looked up to see a what she thought was a pale branch that had fallen through the hole in the roof. When her vision refocused, she saw that it was an unrealistically long neck. The six-armed woman was glaring up at the long-necked woman. "Begone, whore-spider!" The long-necked woman spat, "You may go to the town in the west and play your music there. I cannot enter; they have forbidden outsiders from passing their walls."

San still had her dagger gripped in her right hand. She thought of attacking the bickering women, though she instead shuffled to the wall behind her and waited to see what they would do. She carefully brushed up against the wall until she was on her feet. Neither woman seemed to notice her.

"You are being unfair," The long-necked woman declared, "you can lure men out from that town while I must walk before their guards. It is I who should have this girl!"

"I found her first, therefore she is my prey!" The six-armed woman rebutted, "If you cannot enter the town, that is your own problem."

"Don't think I'm not above eating you, insect."

The six-legged woman hissed once more as she threw off her kimono and latched on to the neck of the other woman. San stared as her smooth, pearl-colored skin began to change to a rough, obsidian-like hide. Her legs and six arms morphed into arachnoid legs as she began to bite into the now-retracting neck of her adversary. San took this moment to sprint out of the hut, grabbing her spear as she raced out of the front door. Before she returned to her home, she first wanted to rid the forest of the two demons she encountered. She dashed towards where the woman's neck had been protruding from and eventually came upon a skirmish between the spider-woman and the long-necked woman. They were fighting on a slight slope in the mountainside; the long-necked woman held the high ground. The long-necked woman wielded a sharp tanto blade. The spider-woman carried no weapon, though she was able to spin webs at tremendous speed.

The struggle between the two was a quick encounter. The spider-woman was quick to bind her enemy's legs in webbing. The long-necked woman, however, was able to drive her blade into the underside of the spider-woman, reminding San of what she had done to Kumo over four years ago. The spider dropped to the ground, her eight legs twitching. The long-necked woman smiled gleefully as she cut herself out of the webbing and began to stab the spider-woman's body. Up her dagger went into the night sky, a silver blade in the dark, before it was plunged into the obsidian carcass of the spider. Again and again she pierced the soft belly of the demon. San stealthily approached the long-necked woman as she cheerfully marred the spider-woman's body. After thirty-seven strikes, San thrust her spear into the heart of the long-necked woman. The woman's blade slipped out of her raised hand and clinked against the rocky ground below. San's spear slid smoothly out of the demon's body. It fell over to the side as two puddles of blood congregated into one large pool. The spider woman's body was no longer twitching.

San rubbed her left eye with one hand as she stared at the two bodies. She wished that she had something to start a fire with so she could ensure that neither "woman" would rise. She sighed and continued back to the den. Her feet pained her with every step. It was the one reason she often avoided the mountain: her cloth shoes would be torn by small rocks and her feet would become scratched and blistered. Fortunately, there was a river nearby where she could rest her feet. She was able to guide herself there with the light of the moon. The river was the only sound in the forest. She sighed as she threw off her tattered shoes and dipped her feet into the water. The river was cool, soothing the aching. She laid her weapons close to her in case she encountered another demon. She kept staring down in the water in fear of something grabbing her legs, only looking up at moments when she heard noise coming from the forest. Repeatedly, the noises amounted to nothing. She felt like she was becoming paranoid.

Just as San stood to return to her den, she heard a loud splash from further down the stream. She pulled her legs out of the river and glanced towards where she heard the splash. Ripples were still vanishing from the water's surface. It was too dark for her to be able to see below the water's surface, even though it was normally as clear as glass during the day. She picked up her spear and backed away from the river.

After San took only a few steps back, a creature broke the surface of the water. Standing near the bank of the river was a creature shaped like a human, though its reptilian skin, webbed hands and feet, strong odor of fish, carapace, beak, and what appeared to be a plate atop its head quickly proved it was something San had never encountered.

"What kind of demon are you?" San asked.

"Demon? I am no demon!" The creature retorted, "I am what your kind calls a kappa." San recognized the creature's name; on one rare occasion, she joined Ashitaka during one of Irontown's weekly gatherings and overhead a group of humans tell various tales about kappa. None of their tales were pleasant. "A spirit of the river, if you will."

"I've heard of your sort. The humans say that you drown them, rape their women, and steal away children."

"Oh, but those are merely exaggerated tales. We are merely curious and, admittedly, mischievous. The most harmful thing I've ever done is knock a man out with my gas." The creature let out a low, rattling chuckle.

San narrowed her eyes towards the creature. "Prove to me you're not evil. Greet me like a human would."

"That's it? Why, you only needed to ask." The kappa decided upon a traditional bow. He bowed deeply and titled his head. The water on the plate atop his head spilled out onto the ground. The kappa's eyes opened wide as he muttered, "Uh oh."

"I also overhead them mention your kind's weaknesses." San said as she approached with her spear pointed towards the kappa. "I didn't think you would be that easy to fool."

"Wait! Don't kill me! I can help you!" The kappa pleaded. His pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears as San continued to advance towards him. "Please! If you refill my bowl, I can serve you! Do anything you want!"

"Can you rid this forest of demons?"

"Eh... I can't kill them. But! I know where they're coming from."

San at first did not believe the creature. However, he could have been telling the truth. She debated killing him on the spot or allowing him to live in exchange for telling her where the demons were coming from. She decided upon the latter and lowered her spear. "Tell me where I can find whatever land these monsters are coming from. After that, I'll refill that thing on your head."

"Yes! Yes! Thank you, woman! Yes... yes, the spirits. They come far from the northeast, a journey that is at least four weeks by foot. There is a temple, long forgotten by the Shinto priests, and a gate that is said to lead to the world of spirits, both good and evil, the place where all go after death. Go there and destroy the gate which leads to the temple. Then the spirits will have no way to enter your world. The temple is about four days away from a city. The city adorns its banners with the three dragon scales. Yes, a four day trip after the city, continuing northeast, and you will find the gate."

San nodded and walked over to the river, intent on keeping her promise. She bent down and cupped her hands to fill them with water. Just as she lifted her hands from the river, a loud bang erupted throughout the forest. The kappa croaked as an iron bullet pierced through its skull, causing the creature to fall flat on its face.

"You idiot!" The voice of the monk roared from somewhere in the forest, his voice echoing with the ringing of the bullet, "You weren't supposed to fire! No! Don't give me that! Do you have any idea how many... crap."

San quickly picked up her spear and raced back towards home. She didn't care if she was barefoot; she wanted to get as far away from that human and his friends. As she was hurrying back to the den, she saw spirits clouded in green smoke, specters engulfed in spiraling flames, and luminescent phantoms surrounded by balls of light. They ignored her and instead blurred past her, towards the origin of the gunshot. The amount of wraiths passing by her was staggering; she couldn't even count the number of horrific demons passing by her. She thought she was going insane. She no longer felt like she was in her home, in the forest she had grown up in.

When she finally returned to the den, her heart was like a horse in full gallop. She quickly climbed into the cave. She did her best to look ahead, having no desire to lay eyes upon the demons that she had earlier encountered. She sat for seven minutes, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. Strands of her hair stuck against her face. She kept her eyes towards the ground, fearing what she might see if she looked up.

"I can't stay here," She told herself, "I'll go insane if I do, like Nago and Okkoto." San finally looked up and was relieved to see that there was no daunting figure standing before her. She knew that there was only one other place she could go, even if she loathed it. She took her mask and headdress, pulling both over her matted hair as she climbed down the side of the den. Clouds overhead had passed, making it easier for her to see. Following the light of the moon and the stars, she moved at a brisk pace towards Irontown.


	8. Return From Battle

Thin rays of sunlight blinded Ashitaka as he awoke for the third time. He vaguely remembered hearing something make a bumping noise in his house, waking him up the first time. The second time, he had felt something brush against his right arm. Darkness concealed whatever had skimmed by him and he found nothing in the main room when he went to check. He couldn't tell if the demons in the forest were somehow making the night darker or if his lack of sleep was beginning to cause his vision to cloud. He sincerely hoped it was the latter.

As he stretched his arms before getting out of bed, he felt what he initially thought was a second blanket, though it was fuzzier and more coarse than any he owned. He rolled over, only to have his face become buried in a familiar pelt of white fur.

 _This isn't real_ , He thought to himself at first. The stinging pain in his eyes and hammer-like pounding in his skull told him otherwise. He pulled off the blanket to find San sleeping deeply, curled-up with her knees near her chest. He lightly shook her shoulder to no avail.  _She must be tired. I wonder why she came here._  He replaced the blanket, deciding to let her rest, and went over to Kaya. She was stirring in her sleep, making a pawing motion with her hand against the air. A silent laugh arose from Ashitaka, wondering if she might have been mimicking the motions of an animal she may have encountered in the forest. He gently lifted Kaya and held her against his shoulder, brushing her short brown hair. Slowly, the girl's eyes began to flicker alight.

"Good morning, Kaya," Ashitaka greeted softly

"Good morning, dad," She tiredly muttered into his nightshirt. Her eyes wandered over to the figure sleeping on her father's futon. "Is that mom?"

"Yes, Kaya. She's still asleep, so don't try to make too much noise, okay?" Kaya nodded, her nose scuffing against Ashitaka's shirt, "Let's get you breakfast, then." He brought Kaya to the main room and prepared her usual breakfast: a mix of dried fruits and a small bowl of rice. As he placed the food on the table, he noticed that San was beginning to bestir. He remained quiet as he ate his food next to Kaya, all the while wondering why San would come to Irontown. He remembered that she had offered to stay with him for a while longer, though he had rejected her offer so she could remain in the forest. He caught a glimpse of her clothes in the washroom as he was eating. They appeared damp, as if she had been caught in a monsoon.

"I thought mommy wasn't supposed to be back yet," Kaya commented.

"I thought so, too." Ashitaka stood from the cushion he was sitting on and gingerly moved over to San. Her sleep was once again peaceful as he sat next to her and waited for her to awaken. He noticed that she had cut her hair, resembling the same hairstyle she sported when he first met her. She was wearing the nightclothes she commonly wore when she slept in his house. Half of her face was buried in her pillow.

When San finally awoke, her head quickly jerked at the sight of Ashitaka sitting nearby, causing her earrings to emit their familiar pinging noise. "Hi, Ashitaka," She whispered as she elevated herself with one arm, "I'm sorry I didn't alert you when I came in."

"It's fine, San," He reassured, "I'm always happy to have you here."

She made a light, soft, throaty sound that was halfway between a groan and a sigh as her head sank down into the pillow once more. "We need to find a way to lock the window in the main room."

Ashitaka smiled and lied down next to her on the wooden floor. "What happened with your clothes?"

San took in a deep breath and pressed her eyes closed before reopening them and breathing out. "I went into a river after hiking up and down the mountains last night. My feet were hurting and I was going to change out of them at the den anyway."

Ashitaka became puzzled and asked, "Why were you at the mountains."

San recounted her encounter with the spider-woman and the music that had attracted her to the shack in the mountains. She told him of the second woman who arrived, the brief fight between the two, and her later encounter with the kappa. "And then there was a gunshot from somewhere in the forest. It killed the river spirit and I fled back to the cave. While I was running, I saw demons... so many of them. Did you ever see the horde of boars when they went to attack the humans?"

"No," Ashitaka replied as he shook his head, "but I saw their bodies."

"The legion of demons I ran into must have matched their numbers, perhaps even exceeded them. The gunshot seemed to attract them and they paid little attention to me. When I got back home, I didn't feel safe. I just... the forest didn't feel the same. It felt like I was being watched by them, sitting like idle prey while they toyed with me, trying to make me weak. I couldn't stay there. The forest made me feel," San paused for a moment, not wanting to say that she was terrified. If she had been talking to anybody other than Ashitaka, she would have stopped speaking. However, she was able to gather herself to say, in barely more than a whisper, "afraid."

San hid her face in the pillow and blankets, not wanting to see Ashitaka's reaction to her admitting she was afraid. Ashitaka didn't say anything. He felt somber seeing San in her dismal state. It wasn't the first time she had been so despairing, though it was certainly rare for her to show such emotions. He had become used to seeing her happy, occasionally delving in periods of rage, but it was abnormal for San to act with any sense of dread. He knew how to cheer her up, though. He quickly threw the blanket off of her and grabbed her waist. San could barely elicit a gasp before Ashitaka rolled over, bringing her with him. He tumbled three times, ending with him being sandwiched between San and the floor. It worked; San giggled and was smiling.

"Mommy!" Kaya shouted happily as she jumped on top of San. San and Ashitaka grunted lightly as Kaya landed on San's back, wrapping her arms around her mother in a loving embrace. "You're home early!"

"I know, Moro," San said as the little girl slid off her mother's back. San rolled off of Ashitaka, creating a space for Kaya to squeeze in between them. San rubbed her cheek against Kaya's, a sign of affection that her own mother had taught her over two decades.

"Did you finish your food?" Ashitaka asked Kaya. The child nodded in response. "Alright, because I need to get ready for guard duty." Ashitaka looked over to San and asked if she wanted to join him. "We can bring Kaya with us."

"It's better than staying inside," San remarked.

Ashitaka kept a watchful eye on the forest, trying to not be distracted by Kaya's babbling. San was holding their child as she sat against the wall, her head barely peeking over the edge. The walkway was not very high up, though San still held Kaya close to her, making sure she didn't wander off; she had yet to teach her daughter how to fall from high areas. The other guards kept their distance from them, knowing how protective San was of her child. Ashitaka was surprised that the guardsmen still feared her; it had been at least half a year since she was in a fight with one of the townspeople.

* * *

As Ashitaka continued to scan the forest's edge, he kept an eye out for any signs of demons. Not only noises in the forest and things that seemed to dance between the trees, but anything that seemed out of the ordinary: oddly shaped shadows, foliage of a different color, anything else that gave even the slightest indication of spirits. He also kept an eye out for Jigo. San had mentioned a gunshot attracting a wave of demons, and only Jigo carried one of the town's few remaining rifles.

"San, what happened to Jigo after you heard him fire his gun?" Ashitaka asked.

"I don't know," She replied, "I think he began to berate one of his comrades, but I didn't stay to find out what happened to him."

Ashitaka nodded and continued to watch over the area. He felt some concern for Jigo, though a small level of resentment towards the monk made it hard for him to think he would ever miss him. Then again, he was the only one in Irontown who even knew the names of the spirits they were facing. "I wonder if he escaped from them."

"Even if he did, where would he go? His hunters killed the only spirit that had a chance of cooperating with them."

"The kappa?"

"Yes. It told me where the demons were coming from after I promised to help it return to the river."

"What?!" Ashitaka exclaimed, "You never mentioned this before."

"I was going to when I woke up. It must have slipped my mind. It told me that there is a gate in the northeast where the spirits and demons are coming from. It's linked to the world of the dead."

"We should tell-" Ashitaka suddenly cut himself off and stared towards the trees before muttering, "It's Jigo."

San peered over the edge of the wall to see the short, plump human limping from the forest, dragging his rifle through the dirt as blood oozed from what seemed to be a thousand cuts in his body. One eye was swollen shut, purple, blue, and bleeding. The other eye had been cut through the eyelid. His robes had been shredded as though he had walked through a hurricane of blades. The middle and index fingers on his left hand had been lopped off. His right hand fared no better; bones were sticking out of open wounds and his fingers appeared to have been crushed. While the leg he walked on was fine, his other leg had been bent backwards from the knee. His face was a crimson mask constantly colored by blood seeping from under his hat. A sanguine river flowed from his mouth, blood gushing with every step.

Ashitaka called for the other guards to open the gate. The men did so without hesitation, pulling the one-ton-plus gate to allow Jigo inside. But before the monk could reach the gates, he collapsed on the dirt road leading to the town. A group of guards rushed over to help him, hoisting him off the ground and assisting his stumble towards the walls of Irontown. Ashitaka hurried down a nearby ladder while San watched from a distance. Kaya seemed oblivious to what was happening below.

"What happened?" One of the guards asked as they carefully set him down, sitting against the wall.

Jigo failed to respond. His breathing was slow and heavy. His other eye was barely open and was staring into the distance. Another guard called for help while others tried tending to Jigo, scrambling for bandages and other supplies they kept in small pouches worn on their belts.

"It's no use," Jigo groaned in a croaky voice, "there's probably a thousand cuts in my body. There isn't enough bandages or whatever-the-hell you think can help me. The wounds are too deep for that."

"Jigo," Ashitaka said as he knelt down next to him, "what happened to you?"

"My so-called help got us caught into one hell of a shit-storm. I told him not to fire, even if we saw one of those creatures, but they didn't listen." Jigo began to choke on blood, spitting out a mouthful before he continued speaking in a labored whisper, "There were hundreds of them, boy. They even seemed to have a leader, an ogre of a beast known as an oni. I didn't expect one to show up." Jigo paused his speaking once more and took in several deep breaths.

"Hold on, Jigo, the guards are coming back with some help." Ashitaka moved back as a pair of guards returned with a small group of doctors. They began to dress his wounds, repeatedly placing their ears near Jigo's chest, trying to hear even the faintest sound of his heart beating. One of them cursed under his breath and the group began to work at breakneck speed.

San watched on as the humans continued to flock around that one man. She looked on with sadistic joy as more blood poured from his body. Despite all Ashitaka had taught her about how humans were not as terrible as she believed, stoically watching the human responsible for the destruction of her home and the death of her mother made her happy. Her eyes glared on as Ashitaka broke away from the group, his head slightly low as he climbed up the ladder and returned to his post.

"He's dead," Ashitaka murmured, "he lost too much blood." His eyes gazed at the forest line. He had wondered if the demons would kill any of Irontown's residents. Now that he had his answer, he began to wish he and San were on the other side of the forest, back in his home village, and away from the horde hiding in the trees. He realized that he would have to leave and try to stop the demons. Only a few days ago, he might have thought that waiting for them to leave would have been the best option. Now, he wanted nothing more than to close whatever gate they had come from.


	9. Running Up That Hill

A funeral procession was held for Jigo the following day. Ashitaka expected only a handful to arrive, though to his surprise there were many townspeople who had arrived to give their respects. Lady Eboshi and Gonza were in attendance, as were Toki, Kohroku, and Kiro. His body lay over a great flame which roared through a cage of logs. Few words were said; not even Ashitaka spoke about the monk and his past. The only one to give an eulogy was Lady Eboshi, and even then her words were brief. She spoke of how he helped Irontown when they needed his assistance.

After the funeral, the town's mood was somber. Despite the negative attitude many people had towards Jigo in his life, the way he had died horrified them and created further dread of the demons in the forest. Even San admitted she wished to stay away from the forest until the demons had left. Ashitaka knew that he would be asked to try and stop the spirits. He wanted to tell Lady Eboshi about the supposed gate in the northeast but decided it would be best to do so on another day. He would also need to talk to San, who was waiting back at his hut. She refused to attend the funeral, saying that it would feel like betraying her mother and the forest spirit if she did such a thing. Ashitaka tried protesting her, but it was in vain. He finally stopped trying to argue when he saw Kaya peeking out from the bedroom.

When Ashitaka arrived home, he found San sitting cross-legged on their couch with Kaya laying down, her head resting on San's left knee. She had been playing with Kaya's hair, making it messy before tidying it again. She looked up when she heard Ashitaka come in. He said nothing as he sat next to San and began to rub his temples.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked.

Ashitaka's tired eyes moved towards her before returning to the floor as he said, "We have to stop these demons somehow." He gazed at Kaya before continuing, "What if they come for Lady Eboshi? Us? Our daughter?"

"I know. I just wish my brothers were here; they'd probably know what to do, or at least they'd be able to help us if we ran into trouble."

Ashitaka nodded. "I need to stop them, San. Not only for Irontown, but for Kaya, you, and I. I'm going to tell Lady Eboshi tomorrow."

"You're going to travel to the gate?"

"Yes, and I need you to tell me where it is."

"I'll tell you on the way there. I'm going with you."

* * *

The next day, Ashitaka came to Lady Eboshi's house with San. It was one of the few times she had visited the woman's house and she still felt uncomfortable waiting at the front door, anticipating the woman she had considered her mortal enemy for as long as she could remember, the woman who she could barely believe was her human mother. Lady Eboshi, however, seemed to have forgotten about the times that San had tried to kill her and welcomed both inside. After small talk, mostly between Ashitaka and Eboshi, they moved onto the gate San had learned of.

"You say a kappa told you about this?" Lady Eboshi questioned as San told her of the encounter at the river. San nodded her head in response. "I've never met a kappa before. I've always assumed that they had been hunted into extinction or that they never existed to begin with. From what I have heard about these river spirits is that they are mischievous, callous, and untrustworthy unless you offer them something. Since you did promise to refill the plate on its head, I suppose it could have been truthful." Lady Eboshi began to tap a finger on the table between her, Ashitaka, and San. "If you want to go there, I'll permit you, but I should warn you that the area you're headed to is currently being marred by the struggles those lords seem to be placing upon each other. And the banners you mentioned, the 'three dragon scales', belong to the Oji clan, who are battling against the Korosu clan. If you ever encounter one of their leaders, try not to get involved in their squabbles."

Ashitaka bowed his head. "Thank you, Lady Eboshi. While San and I are gone, do you think it would be possible for you to take care of Kaya?"

"Of course I can; anything for my granddaughter." Lady Eboshi left the room for a moment before returning with a large map which covered the table. "The city controlled by the Oji clan," She said as she pointed to a sketch of a tower standing behind a wall, "is called Kowarenai. I have heard of a temple nearby that is said to be forbidden to enter, so it likely lays here," She pointed out a blank circle on the map that stood out from the surrounding shadings which represented the forest. "I doubt either side cares whether or not this place is forbidden and they may have already entered it. If you do happen to come across soldiers or spies there, try to stay out of their affairs."

* * *

Ashitaka had told Kaya that he and San would be gone for a few weeks, though he was unsure if she had any grasp on time perception. She bounced on his lap while rapidly nodding her head, a smile painting her face. Ashitaka sighed, a sigh of happiness and of regret; seeing his daughter brought him nothing but joy, but the fact he would have to leave her a month, possibly more, made him gloomy. When they brought her to Lady Eboshi's home, they said goodbye in their own ways: Ashitaka kissed her on the forehead while San rubbed her cheek against Kaya's. Leaving her daughter with Lady Eboshi, the daughter who was partially named after one of Lady Eboshi's greatest enemies, felt strange, though she couldn't think of anyone else who could care for her and she was far too young to care for herself. Besides, she would be safer in the most guarded building in Irontown.

After they had brought Kaya to Lady Eboshi's home, Ashitaka and San returned to his house to gather the things they would need to bring. For food, they brought rice, dried meats and fruits and vegetables, small, round loaves of bread, and tea leaves. They brought their weapons: Ashitaka armed with his sword, bow, and quiver of sixteen arrows while San carried her spear and dagger. San also brought her full-face mask and headdress. Ashitaka brought his straw cloak, red hood, and leg warmers. His saddle was in the stables with Yakul, who had been informed of their journey the day before. He also took his red bowl, seeing as to how they had no other container for water.

"Is there anything else we need?" San asked as they gathered everything into saddlebags.

"I don't think so," Ashitaka replied, "though I suppose armor could be useful."

"What's the point? Every time you and I have fought something with armor, we always hit the area that isn't protected. Besides, arrows usually pass by us and the things we fight up close always take too much time with their strikes."

"Then let's hope our luck doesn't run out."

San nodded. She wanted to further assure him that they would be fine, though he didn't seem to be paying attention. He had a far-away look in his eyes, staring down at the floor but seeing something else. She waved her hand in front of his face, which seemed to bring him back. "Are you alright?"

"Just worried. I know Kaya should be... will be fine, but what if we don't come back?"

"We will!" San snapped, "I know what those demons did to that human, but that won't happen to either of us!" San took a breath before continuing, "We've survived a lot, together and alone, and we're going to survive this."

Ashitaka smiled lightly and said, "Funny, I'm usually optimistic about these sorts of things, but... I don't know. I don't feel like myself for some reason."

San wanted to try and cheer him up somehow. She had never seen Ashitaka in such a dark mood, not even when she had first met him and he had a life-threatening curse. His eyes were foggy, his hair had grown long, and he had been sluggish. She tried thinking of someway to brighten him, the same thing he had done before they faced another demon, the one who had tried manipulating her and her brothers. She began to twiddle with the crystal dagger necklace she wore. "You're acting like we're going to be executed."

"If what Lady Eboshi said about those two clans are true, that might actually happen."

"Dammit, Ashitaka, snap out of it!" San grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently. He grabbed her arms to stop her, gently setting them to her sides. "You're never like this."

"I'm sorry San, it's just been so stressful," Ashitaka rubbed his eyes and brushed back his shoulder-length hair, "and now that Jigo is dead, we are going to have to face these monsters together."

"It's better to travel in a pack than be a lone wolf, even if the pack is small."

Ashitaka grinned and pulled San closer towards him. She dropped onto him, her elbow lightly jabbing him in the sternum, and wrapped her hands around his neck. "You seem to be in a better mood than when you came here a couple of days ago."

"I know; I feel better too," San stretched out on the couch, extending her fingers and cracking her neck, "Maybe it had something to do with seeing the demons. They brought out horrible stories my brothers used to tell me when I was a pup, stories that I believed since they're forest gods. I still believe some of them."

"What are some of the stories they would tell you?"

"One was about a tree that fed off of the blood of humans. At first I thought that it was a good thing, seeing how it was a tree that killed humans, then I began to wonder if it consumed wolf blood. They never gave me an answer. Another was a type of demon that began as the spirit of a mother who had lost their child in a battle. They said that the spirit would either protect children or devour their souls. That was the earliest one I can remember; I can also recall peeking around every tree around me when I heard a twig snap or leaves rustle. Then there was the spirit whose head could detach, another which resembled a corpse with dangling eyes and black skin, and then, the one I hated most of all, they told me the story of the Black Wolf."

"I thought some wolves were black?"

"Some are, rarely, but this one was a demon, not an ordinary wolf. They told me that it had sleek, black fur darker than a cave at night, large eyes that glowed, and it would make a terrible sound, like the howling of a tortured hound." San shook her head. "I absolutely despised the thought of such a creature. It was made worse by my brothers, who not only said it was a real creature, but when they said that it was real, they seemed sincere, not in the jesting mood they usually were in when they told me these stories."

"Did you ever ask your mother about it?"

"I did. She never gave me a straight answer, only that there were things in the forest I had to be wary of, and that the forest wasn't always a safe, pure place where no harm could be done. I supposed that meant yes. Maybe my brothers had become better at masking their snickering."

Ashitaka hoped she was right. He remembered that his people had a legend similar to hers, though what exactly the Black Wolf was depended on who told the story. Some said it breathed fire, others said that it was a sign of impending doom. He hoped neither was true, that the demon was only a myth. "We should go to sleep soon if we're going to leave early in the morning," Ashitaka remarked as he glanced outside his window at the red sun dipping below the mountains, "hopefully the weather won't act up again."


	10. Wolves Hunt in Packs

Ashitaka loaded the bags onto the saddle as San brushed Yakul's fur, her hand streaking from the top of his neck to his spine. The elk brushed his muzzle against San as a sign of thanks, though she could tell that he was nervous as well. She had woken up with a sick stomach and wanted to throw up. Ashitaka had also awoken with a similar feeling. San had at first believed it was a trick played by the spirits, but she knew that she was simply lying to herself, saying that she wasn't scared, telling herself that she did not fear the demons, that she did not dread the possibility of she or Ashitaka falling to the spirits, that the thought of losing her daughter did not terrorize her. She shook her head at those thoughts. She had told Ashitaka to remain positive, so she had to be somewhat optimistic.

San looked up to the deep blue of the early dawn sky, counting the number of stars which not yet vanished due to the faint sunlight. The pale white of the moon glowed amongst the faintly twinkling stars. A flock of black birds were flying from the forest, over Irontown, and to the other side of the lake. She recognized them and wondered why it was they were flying to the other side of the forest, leaving behind their nests. She guessed it was the demons but hoped it was for another reason. Ashitaka noticed her staring at the flock and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

"Yes," She replied as she took her eyes off of the birds and faced him, "Let's hurry to the temple; hopefully we can arrive without too much trouble."

The two mounted Yakul. San rode behind Ashitaka as he grabbed onto the reins and directed Yakul to the gates. The gate guard called for the gates to be lifted, prompting the ten men below to crank the wench which controlled the heavy wooden gates to Irontown. The gates came upwards to the path leading from Irontown to the east. Yakul rode through the gates and over the sturdy bridge that had been rebuilt several years before. The gates boomed behind them as they were lowered. To Ashitaka it was a death knell, the hammer pounding in the nails to his casket. He told himself to stop being cynical, that he and San would destroy the gate the spirits were pouring from and return to Irontown where they would live the rest of their lives in peace with their daughter.

"Should we take the road or go through the forest?" Ashitaka asked, "It will take longer if we travel on the road, but you said there are demons in the forest."

"Normally I would see we should take the forest, but the kodama are hiding and the dangers are too great," She replied, "We should take the road, even if it will take more time."

"Alright, but we won't be completely safe. There may still be a few demons, not to mention the possibility of thugs and ronin."

"I know it isn't entirely safe, but I would feel safer sleeping in an area where I know there aren't any demons."

"Alright, but we should at least gather some water from the pond, just in case we need it."

San knew that he was talking about the pond the Forest Spirit would often visit. She agreed, as the water had helped them before. Yakul was initially hesitant on entering the forest, though he was able to overcome his fears and galloped over fallen logs, leapt over boulders, and steered clear of bramble as he raced towards the pond, knowing that the sooner they arrived, they sooner they would leave. He, along with his two riders, were thankful that they did not encounter any demons or spirits on the way. Ashitaka and San were quick to fill two small clay jugs with the pond's water. They stored each jug in a separate leather bag to ensure that they wouldn't break when Yakul broke into gallop. Once they had remounted Yakul, he dashed back to the main road. As they were racing back to the road, they heard a loud howl emit from the forest.

"It sounds like one of your brothers," Ashitaka commented, though he doubted it was either of them.

"It can't be them, they've likely found their own packs and their own mates," San said, "it's probably a wild wolf."

"Or that Black Wolf you told me about," Ashitaka joked. The only response San gave was a low growl.

* * *

The road they traveled on stretched on for miles before it eventually crossed with another path. One path led to the city which they had ventured to several years ago when Lady Eboshi had been poisoned. The other path led further east; it eventually led to the same road Ashitaka had been following before he first met Jigo. The road they were to take led them to the northeast, where the gate lay. The crossroad was several days away, however, so they would stick on the main road for the meantime. The road was largely void of other humans. On the first day of their journey, they only encountered two other people: a traveling Shinto priest and a man whose village had been sacked by a band of samurai. Ashitaka told the man that there was a town nearby. The man thanked him and continued on his way.

When night had fallen, Ashitaka and San continued for several more hours until they decided to stop and rest. They stopped near a river, though San suggested they slept close to the road, not wanting to encounter another kappa. They set up a small two person tent on the slope which eventually dipped into the river, placing it only a few feet away from the road. Yakul slept on the other side of the road, his antlers slightly touching the rocky hill which led to the forest. The sleeping mats Ashitaka and San slept in were made of thin, green cloth. Through the slit in the front of the tent, they could see the stars twinkling in the night sky. Both were steadily falling asleep when something brushed against the tent, startling Ashitaka and prompting San to instinctively grab her knife, forgetting she had left it in one of the bags Yakul was carrying.

"I'll see what it is," San said as she crept towards the opening of the tent and peeked outside. The moon and stars provided enough light for her to see Yakul, the stream, and the road, but not whatever had brushed against the tent. She turned to look to the other side and saw a pair of eyes shining like diamonds in the black and blue. Looking closer, she saw that it was merely the eyes of a cat, possibly a stray from a nearby village or a feral which had been born in the wild. She sighed out of relief and crawled back into the tent. "It's just a cat," She told Ashitaka as she curled up in her blanket.

* * *

The next morning, Ashitaka awoke early. The sun had just barely risen over the distant mountains. Ashitaka crawled outside of the tent and felt the morning dew with his feet, digging his toes into the soft mud. He brushed some of his hair away from his face as he gazed off towards the distant mountains, wondering if there were any demons in that area. He looked over to Yakul and found him gnawing on the grass on the hill. He decided to wait for San to awake on her own rather than try and wake her up early; perhaps if she slept a little later, they would be able to cover more ground.

He went over to the river and washed his face and arms, pausing for a moment as he began scrubbing the arm which had been marked by Nago. He had always wondered what would happen if he were to be cursed again, be it by his previous curse reigniting or for a demon to hex him with a new spell. Would he be able to be cured? The Forest Spirit was dead and he knew that the water from its pond alone was not enough. He put the thought of his mind and splashed water over his face. While waiting for San to rouse, he went over to Yakul and took her knife from one of the saddle bags. He dug a small hole near the riverbank with his hands, pushing the mud over to the side. He quickly washed his hands before gathering his hair back and cutting it with the knife. His hair was now neck-length, only slightly shorter than San's. He buried the hair he had cut in the hole near the river.

After he placed the knife back in its bag, he returned to the tent to see if San was awake yet. He peered in and saw that she was stirring. While waiting for her to fully awaken, he heard howling coming from nearby. It wasn't similar to Okami's or Urufu's howls, it was not as high-pitched and sounded more guttural. It was loud enough to startle Yakul, who backed away from the hill and moved closer to the tent. San's eyes shot open at the sound and she quickly scrambled out of the tent.

"That didn't sound like one of your brothers," Ashitaka remarked as he retrieved his sword and bow, just in case he would need them.

"If they're wild wolves then we should be fine," San said, "They don't often attack humans unless they're very hungry."

"What about elks?" Ashitaka cocked his head towards Yakul.

Before San could reply, a large wolf with tan fur emerged from the forest. It was larger than a feral wolf and was almost as large as her brothers. Three slightly smaller wolves of similar color appeared at his side, their large eyes beaming down at Ashitaka, San, and Yakul.

"These do not look like ordinary humans; they dress differently and the female doesn't smell like one." One of the smaller wolves observed.

"It doesn't matter if they're ordinary or not!" The largest barked, "They're still human and they will still be punished!"

"We have done nothing wrong!" Ashitaka called, "Our home has been plagued by evil spirits and we are trying to stop them from causing further grief!"

"Your kind is a race of deceivers, weavers of lies! You make little hesitation to betray the promises you make to your own kin and to mar the land you squabble over!"

"We're not like that!" San shouted, "I'm not even human!"

The wolf glared at her with his teeth barred and growled, "You are a pathetic creature if you think we believe what you say. You are humans, both of you, and you are-"

"My sister and brother," A deep, commanding voice boomed from further down the road. San's direction turned towards the road, causing her earrings to jingle. Her eyes grew wide when she saw a great white wolf with a piece of his ear missing. Standing behind him were eight or so other wolves.

"I was going to try and attack them from behind," Another voice called from the other end of the road. Ashitaka saw another white wolf, slightly smaller than the other but still as large as a quarter horse. Like the other, he was accompanied by several other wolves. "Perhaps sneaking up on others of our kind is somewhat difficult, right, brother?"

"We don't need to attack them from behind," Okami boasted, "I will gladly fight the alpha wolf of their pack on my own."

"And I would battle those miserable excuses of wolves," Urufu taunted, "I can't believe there are so few of our kind in this area."

"And they're so small!"

The leader of the pack atop the hill gazed back and forth between Okami and Urufu's packs. He would have to face fifteen wolves if he stepped off of his perch. The two humans seemed ready to fight him, even if their weapons couldn't hurt him very badly. "Why are you defending these humans? They have done nothing but cause pain and suf-"

"Enough!" Okami boomed, "I will not hear a lesser wolf speak ill of my sister and her mate, be either of them human in appearance or heart. Now go before me and my brother rip you asunder." Okami barred his razor sharp teeth, dirty rows of daggers which could rip a tree from its roots. Not to be outdone, Urufu exhibited his own set of knife-like teeth.

The tan wolf glanced once more at each pack before he ordered his own to turn and leave. "I hope the demons take you." He grumbled as he turned tail and followed the other members of his pack. After a few seconds of silence, Okami and Urufu closed their mouths. They approached Ashitaka and San with their respective packs close behind.

San's face lit up as she ran to greet her brothers, who were whispering to their packs to not eat Yakul. Ashitaka was also smiling as he met the wolves.

"It has been too long, San," Okami greeted as he lowered his muzzle at San. She wrapped her hands around his massive neck, "And I have not seen you for some time now, brother," He said to Urufu, "And my human brother," He hailed Ashitaka, "You look like you have been keeping awake at night."

"You're not wrong," Ashitaka said, "There have been a great deal of oddities around Irontown and they've been causing me to lose sleep."

San went over to greet Urufu, who lowered his head in a bow. She hugged him the same way she hugged Okami. "You don't look like you have been sleeping very well either, sister."

"Whatever it is that is haunting the humans is also in the forest," She lamented, "it's now at the point where I can't stay in the den without feeling like there is somebody else with me."

"What's wrong?" Okami asked.

"There are spirits, evil ones, plaguing Irontown," Ashitaka replied, "We don't know why; it began with some odd weather before it escalated to violence."

"I was almost attacked by several demons," San said, "And I've also seen a horde of them in the forest."

"Those are the same ones that killed Jigo, correct?" San nodded her head in response. She caught glimpse of a very faint smile forming at Urufu's lips. She didn't blame him.

"It seems strange that you two are having troubles with these phantoms," Okami remarked, "I'm here because of one."

"I am, as well," Urufu said, "My pack and I followed it until we ended up here and lost track of that demon."

"What is it you were tracking?" Ashitaka asked.

"I wouldn't call it tracking, more of following it as it led us on a chase, but it was a black wolf."

Ashitaka glanced over at San, who seemed to have gone pale. "I'm here for the same reason," Okami said, "My clan and I encountered a black wolf stalking us as we were hunting and we gave chase. Every time we thought it had disappeared, it would show up once more and have us follow."

Urufu nodded, "It's the same Black Wolf we used to tell you about, San, to scare you."

"I remember," San said, having recovered from her brief moment of shock, "I thought I had forgotten about that thing until these spirits began showing up and I wondered if I would see it."

"Well, enough about the demons for now," Okami said, "It has been quite some time since I have seen my old clan. I would like to hear how you two- three having faring."


	11. Catching Up

The two packs converged and sat in a semi-ring around Okami, Urufu, San, and Ashitaka. They listened sharply, intent on learning more about their pack leaders' family. Yakul was close to the river and away from the wolves. Even if the wolves were members of Okami and Urufu's pack, he did not want to be close by.

"It seems that you were successful in finding your own pack, brother," Okami said to Urufu, "they seem like a strong group."

"It wasn't easy; there aren't many wolves to the south," Urufu said, "There are many more humans in the south than there are in this area."

"It wasn't very easy for me to find my pack, either. The humans are warring against each other and the forest and its inhabitants are being caught in between their struggles." Okami made a low growl and muttered, "I suppose some things never do change." Ashitaka hoped that the two hadn't returned to their former mentality of humans. It was difficult for him to convince them that he wasn't evil, let alone other humans. He didn't blame them very much for their disdain. They had lost a great deal to humans and he was rather disheartened to hear that they continued to struggle against humans in other parts of the country. "At least some humans aren't entirely terrible." He said as he turned his head to Ashitaka.

"In truth, the humans haven't been much trouble here," San commented, "They've left the forest alone and plant trees once in a while."

"It's fortunate our father never went far north. He would have set the land aflame with his anger." Urufu half-joked, eliciting a quiet laugh from his elder brother. He knew that is was possible Hanto would have turned sooner if he was around any more humans. "We shouldn't dwell on the negative experiences we've had, right now." Urufu stood and went over to one of the wolves from his pack. "This is my mate, Meinu." Ashitaka, Okami, and San bowed their heads. Meinu silently returned their greeting by bowing her head slightly. Urufu introduced the rest of his pack, all of whom silently greeted his old clan.

Okami stood next and moved next to his mate, a wolf as large as he whom he introduced as Kibatotsume. "Call me Kiba," She requested, "It is what my parents used to call me before I left them."

"Hello, Kiba," San greeted as she dipped her head.

"You must be San. Okami has told me many things about you, more than he has told any of us about himself." Okami proceeded to introduce the rest of his pack. The last one he introduced was his own pup, Koinu. Ashitaka was surprised to hear that the pup was only a year old, as he was already the size of a small ox.

"What about you, San? Do you have a pup of your own?" Okami asked.

San nodded her head proudly. "A daughter, named after our mother and Ashitaka's sister," She said, "She is three years old now."

In his head, Urufu counted the years he and his brother had been away. "Sounds like you two got busy as soon as we left, didn't you?" He joked. The wolves chuckled while San blushed and Ashitaka placed a hand over his grin, stifling a laugh. "So, where is it you raise her?"

"In both Irontown and the forest," Ashitaka answered. He explained how he and San alternated taking care of their daughter every two weeks. "It's working out better than we thought it would."

"The human is her mate?" Kiba asked Okami. "You never mentioned that your sister had a mate, let alone a human." Ashitaka started to wonder if these wolves hated humans as much as Okami and Urufu once did. While a few were staring at him, none of them were barring their teeth or glaring at him.

"He isn't like any other I've met," Okami said, "He's a good person. If I didn't know him, I would have let the other wolves take him."

"I forgot to thank you for that," Ashitaka said, "I can't say what we did to provoke them."

"It wasn't over territory; wolves only fight other wolves over hunting grounds. He seemed to hate you for being human."

"And he dared call our sister human," Urufu jumped in.

"That too," Okami muttered quietly. He would have spoken louder if he had not remembered he indirectly called San human once before.

"Perhaps they lost their home to humans," San said, "In any case, we can deal with that later. Ashitaka and I are traveling to the northeast to stop demons from attacking our homes."

"Yes, you mentioned that. Perhaps your path leads to the one Urufu and I have been following."

"The Black Wolf?" Ashitaka asked.

"The very same our mother warned us about several decades ago, when my brother and I were only pups. She said it was from a different world, from the world of the dead. It is a beast as large as mother was, with fur that blends in with the dead of night and empty, white eyes that are said to be able to see across oceans and over mountains."

"The Black Wolf is a sign of impending doom," Urufu added, "Though not always for whom sees it. It can be an omen warning of the death of a family member or a close friend. I don't know whether or not the Wolf itself causes the death of its mark or if it is a messenger of warning. Either way, Moro wanted us to never approach it if we ever did see it in the forest. She said it was an evil spirit which sometimes killed for entertainment. Many of its victims were humans, according to her, but it would gladly try to kill forest spirits as well."

"It doesn't sound like the Black Wolf attacked either of you," San said, "Maybe it was delivering a warning."

"Yes, but why? And whose death is it trying to warn us of? That is why I pursued the demon this far: to know why it came to me."

"Since you two are trying to stop other demons, perhaps if we work together we can complete all of our tasks," Okami suggested.

"I'd love to travel with you two again," San said, "And we can use the help where we're going."

"The region that the temple we're headed to is currently in a state of civil war," Ashitaka explained, "Two feudal lords fighting against each other for land, and the land we need to pass is in the middle of their conflict."

"Typical," Okami muttered, "I know that not all humans are horrible, but why is it that the ones who lead your kind always seem to be the worst?"

"I don't know," Ashitaka replied, "And I doubt that I would be able to bring peace to the two sides. Even if I did, that wouldn't stop the next lord from attacking. Irontown is different; Lady Eboshi doesn't have many enemies and whoever will replace her will have to be trustworthy enough to have earned her respect. She also doesn't battle over land like many others. The reason my people were driven into hiding was because they were driven out of their homes by the emperor hundreds of years ago. But that doesn't mean every human is the same."

"Yes, yes, I know. You've told us close to one hundred times now. Anyway, I believe we were talking about the Black Wolf?"

"It's lead us here, though we don't know why," Urufu said, "And neither Ashitaka nor San have yet to lay eyes upon it. Perhaps that means that they are not in danger and that we are the ones who the Wolf has marked. In any case, closing the gate to wherever this demon came from may prevent what it has foretold: your death, my death, or the death of one of our pack-mates."

Ashitaka continued to listen to the wolves talk with each other, though his eyes were catching the shadows cast by the sun. As the wolves continued, the shadows began to shift over time. He wondered how much longer the wolves would be speaking, as he and San had to return to their task. After an hour, the group had gone from talking about the demons and spirits to various tales from each pack. Ashitaka was happy to see that San and her brothers were catching up and learning more about each others' pack, but he was anxious to continue to the temple. He looked towards the river and saw Yakul chewing on grass growing by the bank.

"Ashitaka," San said as she tugged on his shirt, "let's pack up the tent."

"We're heading off, then?" He asked.

"Yes, and my brothers and their two packs are going to travel with us."

Ashitaka felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Having not only San's brothers, but two entire packs backing them as they went to destroy the gate was a boon. They wolves were stronger and faster than he or San would likely ever be and their senses were as keen as a razor's edge. Not only that, but he would be able to speak with them again. He had become curious to what the two had been doing before they found their packs. From what he had picked up while they were telling stories, neither of San's brothers spoke about their journeys to the north and south. "I would love for your brothers to come along," Ashitaka said, "Let's just make sure that none of the other wolves tries to eat Yakul."

"I know," San laughed, "I'm sure they'll listen to my brothers. They're the two pack leaders, after all."

Ashitaka got to work taking down the small tent while San gathered the things they needed and placed them in the saddlebags being carried by Yakul. When the two mounted the elk, he seemed reluctant to lead the packs of wolves. After a bit of reassurance from both riders, he finally set out, nervously glancing back at the group of wolves prowling close behind.

"It seems like Yakul is scared," San remarked.

"Wouldn't you be if you had more than a dozen wolves following close behind you?" Ashitaka asked before continuing with a grin, "Actually, you'd probably be overjoyed, wouldn't you?"

Late in the evening, the group stopped at a flat, grassy plain where the road stretched on for several miles without a single tree, stream, or boulder in sight. The bland landscape was peaceful and made Ashitaka calm as he listened to the wind blow in the darkness. San had quickly fallen asleep once the tent had been set-up. Yakul was sleeping somewhere nearby while the two packs relaxed almost piled atop one another. Outside the tent the long blades of grass on the plain were blowing with the gust.

Ashitaka's eyes began to flutter as he began to drift to sleep. Looking out at the plains as the wind blew the flaps of the tent's opening, he caught a glimpse of something glinting in the darkness. Whatever it was, he could see that it was not a star. It was too close and glowed more than any of the stars in the pitch black sky. He initially thought nothing of it. Then it began moving closer. Ashitaka elevated himself several inches off of the ground as he tried to make out what was glowing. He thought that it could have been a lantern, being carried by a man traveling the road late at night. The possibility of a spirit came to him, though he shrugged off the idea. Still, he was curious and kept his eyes open as the glowing orb-shaped object continued its approach.

As it neared, the grass in its path began to flatten. He reached for his sword, wrapping his fingers around the handle slowly. As the glowing sphere neared, Ashitaka noticed a second to its right. He began to think it was a pair of eyes. Ashitaka didn't believe it was one of the wolves; their eyes glowed a bright yellow-green color in the night, not the ivory-white he was seeing. The orbs continued to grow in size until they finally stopped several feet away from his tent. Ashitaka could now see what the pair of eyes belonged to.

It was a giant wolf with obsidian fur, darker than the night. It was larger than any wolf he had ever seen before, even larger than Moro. It's limbs were like tree trunks. Each of its paws had dagger-like claws at the end. Two large and tapered ears sat atop its head. Its two eyes were shaped like two slightly deformed orbs, almost like two blotches of white paint; both were void of pupil and iris. Its mouth hung open lazily, revealing a set of teeth sharper than a katana's blade which its long tongue drooped over. Its long tail was wagging back and forth, like a dog that had found its dinner. Ashitaka felt a thousand needles prick his heart at the sight of the demon. He backed as far as he could when the wolf lowered its head towards the entrance and stared inside with one of its milk-white eyes.

"What is it you want?" Ashitaka calmly asked the beast. Despite his outward steadiness, he could feel cold sweat running down the back of his neck, through his shirt, and over his legs. The beast gave no response. Instead, it closed its mouth and ceased wagging its tail. The Black Wolf made no sound as it bolted away from the tent. Ashitaka felt a wave of relief wash over him, but couldn't help but wonder why a harbinger of doom had arrived at his tent without so much as growling at him. "Maybe it was here as a warning." He said to himself.

Just as he lied back down to return to sleep, he heard a loud howling erupt in the night. It was unlike any other he had heard before, low in pitch and throaty. Ashitaka could hear it as if it was by his side. San scrambled from her sleep, accidentally scratching Ashitaka's face, when she heard the howl. Outside, the other wolves perked their heads up and looked towards the direction of the groan-like howl, barring their teeth and growling. Several of them stood up to charge, but Okami and Urufu ordered them to stay put.

"Was that it?" Okami asked his brother.

"Without a doubt," Urufu replied, "It sounds like it did when I first encountered it."


	12. On the Road Again

The pack set out at the first light of the day. Okami offered to let San ride atop him but she declined, saying that she was going to be guiding Yakul.

"I thought Ashitaka was the one who normally did that," Okami remarked.

"Not this time. He can barely stand on his own," San said, "He couldn't fall asleep last night because of that wolf. He said that it was at our tent." San herself was shaken from the wolf's howl alone. She could only imagine how terrifying the wolf must have looked like. "He's just going to ride behind me."

Okami looked over at Ashitaka. He was tying bags onto Yakul's saddle, though he was sluggish and occasionally paused. "I've never seen it up close, only from afar. Even then it looked enormous. I wouldn't blame him for fearing the beast if it was up close."

"I asked him about it but didn't receive any response. Maybe it's best if he didn't try and think about it." She sighed and said, "We should get moving."

Okami nodded and rejoined his pack. San went over to help Ashitaka pack up the rest of their things. She knew that he hadn't been sleeping well since the demons began showing up, now she was worried that he would be restless. He smiled weakly at her as he tied the last saddlebag, making sure the knot was pulled tightly.

"Alright, I'm ready to go," He said, "You know how to... how to, uh..." He rubbed his eyes with one hand while he made a pulling motion with the other. "You know... Yakul, and..."

"Yes, I know how to guide him," She interrupted.

"Okay," Ashitaka said as he nodded, "I'm sorry that I'm a bit..." Ashitaka paused as he tried to think of what he was going to say, tapping his fingers on his forehead in a vain attempt to jog his memory.

"Don't be sorry. Even my brothers understand why you would be sleepless." She threw her leg onto the saddle and pulled herself up. She offered a hand down to Ashitaka and hoisted him behind her once he grabbed hold. "Okami says that it's supposed to be gigantic."

"It was larger than your mother," Ashitaka said wearily, "Even larger than Okkoto."

"Don't try to think about it. Maybe if you can put it in the back of your mind, you'll be able to sleep better."

"I'll try." But Ashitaka couldn't simply forget about the sight of the wolf, it's blank, empty white eyes peering into his own, the coal colored fur that blended so perfectly with the dark, blocking starlight where it stood, and its claws and teeth which were deadlier than any sword he had laid eyes upon. He tiredly wrapped his hands around San's waist as she got Yakul moving on the road. They were following the rest of the wolves, whom had been informed of the gate and its location the day before.

San made sure to keep one hand on Ashitaka's loosely gripped fingers to make sure he wouldn't fall off. It wasn't long before he was asleep with his head resting on San's shoulder. She kept her grip on his hands even tighter now, glancing behind to make sure he wasn't leaning too far back or too far to one side. Whenever he did, San would have Yakul stop and she would pull him back into place.

"Do you plan on stopping at the town when we're close by?" Okami asked as he slowed his pace to match San's.

"I'm pretty sure Ashitaka will want to stop there to buy whatever we'll need," She replied, "I don't know if I'll go with him, though."

"If you do go with him, just know that the other wolves and I will be staying in the forest."

"Alright. I'll probably be joining you unless I need to go with him."

* * *

By the time Ashitaka finally awoke, the sun had begun to set. San had thought he was slipping again when he removed his hands from around her waist. She was pleasantly surprised to see that he was awake. "I was wondering when you would be up," She said, smiling, "I was beginning to think that you wouldn't be awake until tomorrow."

Ashitaka yawned and stretched his arms. He swung his legs back and forth to regain the feeling in them. "Good morn..." Ashitaka paused when he saw the setting red sun, "... evening."

San giggled. She reached back and caressed his cheek as he placed his chin on the top of her shoulder. "You didn't dream about that demon, did you?"

Ashitaka shook his head. He did dream while he was asleep, though not of the Black Wolf or any other demons that had been plaguing him since the storm. He could only recall one dream, in which he and San wandered through a forest. Stars shone throughout the night sky and the moon hung high and full. As they were walking, they eventually found Moro sitting atop a large flat rock that had been overturned by the great wolf. He couldn't remember what San and her mother were talking about, or if they were even talking at all. All he could remember was wondering how he and San were speaking to a dead spirit.

"San, do you know where your mother would have gone to when she died?" Ashitaka asked.

"If I remember correctly, she told me that souls remain in a misty, dark, gray world until they were given a proper burial," She answered, "After that had been done, they would join their ancestors in death. Why are you asking?"

"I was wondering if it was any different from what I was taught at my old village."

"Is it?"

"No, not really."

"I used to wonder whether I would see her again or if I would see my human parents once I died. Ever since I discovered who my human mother is, I've hoping that I would join Moro instead." San was smiling sadly as memories of the one who she recognized as her mother came flowing to her mind. From the moment she could first remember her mother teaching her how to follow prey up until the moment she bit that woman's arm off with the last of her strength. Even after more than half a decade she missed and grieved for her.

"We should stop talking about death, not when we're going up against these demons," Ashitaka said as he tried to change the topic.

San nodded. "With any luck, we won't run into any on the way there."

"We already might have, with things like that bloodsucking tree you told me about and the demon that Jigo said could turn into a wall."

"Well, we're on the road and away from the trees," San's finger glided from one tree to the other, "And I haven't seen any buildings yet, so I don't think we've encountered any... except for..."

"I know. I'm trying to forget what that thing looked like."

* * *

The wolves were able to find a small pool of water two hours after the sun had set completely and the moon and stars became their only source of light. It was in a small forest clearing that could barely fit all of the wolves. San made sure that the tent was set up several meters away from the pool, not wanting to encounter another kappa.

"We can always take care of it," Urufu said. But San was adamant, wanting to ensure that she would not have to deal with a creature like that again. It didn't terrify her, though she doubted she would be able to fool all of them as easily as she fooled the others. She crawled into the tent with her feet pointed towards the water and her head resting near Ashitaka's. Her tattooed cheeks were close to his smooth, hairless cheeks. She wondered why he didn't have any facial hair like the other humans she had met and seen, though she guessed that it just something else that set him apart from them.

"We're still ten days away," Ashitaka groaned as he turned onto his side to face San, "I'm thinking of stopping in the town before we pass it."

"Why? We don't need anything, do we?" San asked.

"No, but I want to ask around and see what sort of spirits the townspeople may have encountered,

just to see what we might be up against."

"Alright, but I'm going to stay with my brothers."

Ashitaka let out a shallow sigh as he nodded his head. He knew that San would likely never fully come to accept humans or even be comfortable around them. He had spent several years now trying to make her feel more welcome by his own kind. His efforts hadn't been in vain, but progress was slow. It didn't help that once San began to visit Irontown regularly, the townspeople seemed to dig up their old misgivings towards her, glaring at her with spiteful eyes and making crude comments about her behind her back. They seemed to think that Ashitaka never heard these remarks or saw the looks they gave her, but he knew that many believed she was a violent maniac who had been dropped on her head by a wolf when she was a child. He did his best to ignore the comments and hoped that San wouldn't hear them; not only so that she didn't feel insulted, but for the safety of those who were talking about her. She did notice the glances towards her. He thought that it was one of the reasons she preferred to stay inside his house most of the time. It made it hard for her to learn how to act around other humans. He hoped that they would stop one day and she would feel more comfortable outside his house.

Ashitaka tried convincing San to come with him to the town. She wouldn't budge on her position, saying that she was going to remain with her brothers and wait for him to come back. "It won't be that bad. None of the people there know who you are," Ashitaka tried assuring her, "I know that the others back at Irontown aren't very fond of you, but that's because they can't let go of the past, at least not yet. The people who live in the town we are visiting aren't going to treat you and I any differently from other outsiders."

San frowned and him and said, "You talking to me like I'm a child. I know that the humans don't like me; they do a terrible job of concealing it. I don't stay inside your house when you're out simply because I don't like the eyes of the humans when they stare at me. I do it because I can't let go of the past either. Whenever I step outside, I see the people who set fire to the trees that cried out in pain with voices only my mother and brothers could hear. I see the people who killed the boars with traps that ripped and maimed their flesh. I see the people who realized their mistakes only when it was too late and some who still refuse to say they had any part in destroying the forest. I know, the forest is back, but it isn't the same and it never will be."

Ashitaka stared into San's flaring eyes. Half a decade later, she still held a grudge against humans for what had happened to her home. It was one that she likely would never be rid of. Ashitaka had accepted that but hoped that she would at least be willing to be around other humans, even if it was only for a short amount of time. "I'm sorry, San."

"What for?"

"You said it yourself: for talking to you like a child."

"Ashitaka, that's not what I really..." San shook her head and continued, "I just want you to know that the reason I don't leave your house very often isn't because of the other humans. I don't want you to be angry at them like I am."

"San, you're angry at them because they tried to kill you and destroy the forest. I'm not exactly angry at the townspeople for how they look at you and what they say about you, I just want them to stop."

"Alright, I just..." San calmed down from her earlier tirade and calmly said, "I think I'm still going to remain with my brothers. If you do need me to come with you for something, just find me in the forest."

"That would be just fine," Ashitaka said as he smiled. "Goodnight, San."


	13. Damaged Souls

The journey to the temple proved to be a more difficult task as the days carried on. The day after they had stopped by the pond to sleep, San, Ashitaka, Yakul, and the wolves were attacked by bandits who had failed to notice the wolves trailing several hundred feet behind Ashitaka and San. Okami and Urufu were quick to come to their sister's aide and fend off the highwaymen. The two wolves chased the bandits into the forest and returned with blood smeared over their mouths.

"They wasted their lives for nothing. You two don't even have the trinkets most humans hold in such high value," Okami remarked as he licked some of the blood staining his fur, "No money, no gems, not even the odd, fancy looking clothes I've seen some humans wearing in the north."

"They could have taken our food and our weapons." Ashitaka said.

"What kind of moron robs an armed man for his weapon?" San asked.

The next day the pack discovered a pit brimming with the corpses of massacred villagers. San and the other wolves could smell the stench of the rotting bodies far sooner than Ashitaka was able to. They tracked the scent to the charred remains of a village. The ashes of the ruined buildings were carried away by the wind as the pack walked past the husks of former homes. When they neared the pit, Ashitaka nearly vomited from the smell. When he glimpsed into the pit, he recoiled and threw up, holding himself against a tree to keep his balance. Even San and her brothers found it difficult to look into the mass grave. The bodies had begun to decompose, with the color of skin and flesh ranging from jaundice yellow to a sickly black that reminded San of dried blood. Some of their faces were beaten beyond recognition, marred by purple, black, and blue bruises. Open cuts on their throats and faces had festered and now acted as a brooding place for maggots. Some of the bodies were unclothed, particularly the women. Others were missing limbs or eyes. The gaping mouths of the bodies revealed that some were also missing their tongues. Some bodies had burn marks caused by the flame of a torch.

"They must have been killed by a rival lord's soldiers," Okami said.

"It's like the boars," Urufu remarked, "I suppose the humans don't hold their own kind in high regard, either."

"I wonder what benefit there is to killing so many villagers," San said, "It's not like they're fighting against the soldiers."

"No, but if enough of them are killed, their lord will eventually give in. Not only that, but with less farmers and hunters, the humans don't receive as much food as they normally would."

San turned away from the pit, having no desire to continue to lay her eyes upon the pile of scarred, bloody, rotting corpses. She saw that Ashitaka was sitting against the tree with his knees to his chest. His arms were wrapped around his legs and his head rested against his shins. San sat next to him and held him close as he stopped himself from shaking. He had seen the dead before, but what stood out to him most was several of the bodies in the pit.

"There are children in there," Ashitaka said in a wavering voice, "They killed children." San had noticed the children and infants in the pit but was quick to look away. The wolves moved away from the bit and began to wander around the village as they waited for Ashitaka and San to gather themselves. Ashitaka sat in silence for several minutes more before he finally stood up. San wondered what was going through his mind but decided it would be best if she didn't ask. She only asked if he was okay, to which he nodded silently. "Let's get moving. It's going to get dark in a couple of hours."

"Are you sure you're ready to go? You still look pretty badly shaken."

"Yes, I'm ready." Ashitaka stood up and remounted Yakul. He kept his eyes away from the pit as they returned to the main road. For the rest of the day, he spoke only when spoken to and even then spoke briefly. When he and San went to sleep, she noticed that his eyes were distant. She tried to shake him out of his gloomy state but received next to no response from him.

"What's wrong, Ashitaka?" San asked. He looked over to her before promptly returning to staring at the top of the tent. San was starting to become angry that he was acting so reserved. Her anger quickly subsided when she realized it would probably be best if she didn't shout at him. He was already dismayed with the sight of the mass grave; she didn't want to further upset him. "You're mourning for those humans, aren't you? The ones in the hole?"

"Yes," Ashitaka said in a low, quiet voice.

"But you didn't know any of them."

"I know, but I still grieve for them, especially when I think about what they must have gone through before they died."

"That and the children?"

"That too. I don't know why anybody would do such a thing."

"You're worried that something like that may happen to Moro, aren't you?"

After a long pause, Ashitaka replied, "Yes."

"But she's safe, isn't she? The woman you left her with is almost as well protected as the front gate. The town doesn't seem to be bothered by other humans either."

"I know, I just worry for her. If an entire village was massacred by a group of samurai, what happens to us if we encounter them? We can't fight off an entire army."

"No, but we can outrun them. My brothers, their packs, and Yakul can easily get away from any human."

"Not their arrows."

"They would still need to be able to hit a fast moving target."

"That doesn't mean they can't."

San sighed and rolled onto her back to fall asleep, giving up on trying to get Ashitaka's mind off of the past few weeks' events. Ashitaka's chest felt heavy; he wanted to talk with San, to forget about what he had seen, but every time he thought too much about the pit of bodies, the Black Wolf, or the possibility that something happened to Kaya in Irontown, he felt overwhelmed. He turned his head towards San. She was frowning, an expression that would stay on her face until she was deep in slumber. A brief moment later, she turned onto her side, facing away from Ashitaka. The heaving feeling in Ashitaka's chest grew. He turned his head to face the other side of the tent and slowly drifted off to sleep with a troubling feeling accompanying him.

* * *

The next few days on the road were uneventful as they continued their journey. The wolves took to traveling in the forest to keep themselves concealed from the humans on the road. They followed Ashitaka and San, not taking any cuts through the forest. In the forest, they heard odd sounds at night: hissing, high-pitched laughter that was barely audible, tree branches rustling despite there being no wind or animals balancing atop, and heavy, thudding footsteps that became silent once the wolves turned their head towards the source of the footfalls.

On the road, Ashitaka and San had no extraordinary encounters. They met many people on the road but didn't stop to talk with them. Many of them were traveling back to their villages, coming from the same city Ashitaka and San were heading to. Ashitaka asked a man traveling with his family why he had gone to the city in the first place.

"It was originally for protection, but it isn't safe there anymore," The father told them, "My family and I left our village when the war against Lord Korosu came to our home. Now that he's inching closer to Kowarenai, we've decided that it would probably be better for us to return to our village."

"Lord Korosu?"

"Lord Oji's sworn enemy. They've been at war for over a decade now and the violence has poured over into the nearby villages. When we heard that Korosu's army was approaching our village, my family and I fled to Kowarenai. Then Lord Oji announced that Korosu's men were only a few days away, so we've decided to return home."

"I think that woman mentioned those two before we left," San said, "I wonder if either one of them knows about the village we saw."

"What village?"

San described what she had seen at the ruined village, speaking to the man in a low voice so his wife and children couldn't hear. His somber face deepened in sorrow. "I see. That isn't the first time I've heard of such things happening nearby. One of the reasons my family and I left our home six months ago is because a town only a few miles away from ours had been attacked. The things we heard from the few survivors that arrived at our village were horrible. Men and women being cut down by horsemen, houses lit by burning arrows and torches, children being thrown on top of blades..." The man returned to his family and they continued along the road. They would find too late that their home had already been sacked and the men who had laid waste to the village were still there, looting the homes of the dead. The man and his family tried to run, but they were not spared by the warriors.

* * *

On the thirteenth night of their journey, Ashitaka and San were awakened by the sound of heavy footsteps breaking fallen twigs outside. San picked up her knife and peeked outside, wondering if it was one of the wolves. They were in the forest, resting near the edge with watchful eyes scanning the trees deeper in. San looked towards the south when she heard the sound again and saw several long-haired men hopping on the grass towards the tent. Their arms were stretched out and their legs were stiff like wooden boards. Their long, wispy hair was colored white and their skin appeared pale green in the moonlight. They all sported some sort of wound on their chest, neck, or head, ranging from a slit throat to caved-in skull.

"Ashitaka," San whispered. He gazed outside the tent and immediately grabbed his sword. "What are you doing?"

"Those creatures are evil, San, and we need to leave," He warned, "They're dead bodies, possessed by evil spirits."

"Why are they jumping?"

"They can't walk due to the stiffness of their muscles." He hurriedly cleared out the tent and began to pack up. He looked back towards the group of walking dead and continued to gather he and San's things. "We can't harm them with our weapons."

"What should we do, then?"

Ashitaka hastily tied his pouches to his belt, sheathed his sword, and tossed San her things while he whistled for Yakul. "We have to run, now."

"Why can't we just cut them down?"

"We'll be swarmed by them if we try that. Our weapons can't cut through flesh and bone in one strike but their blows can probably knock us out in one hit. If we can outrun them until morning, we should be safe. They'll return to their graves come the rooster's call."

San swallowed her pride and nodded. Once Yakul came from out of the forest, he was paralyzed in fear by the sight of the living dead hopping towards Ashitaka and San. When the two hopped onto the elk and told him to flee, he happily complied.

"What if my brothers attack them?" San asked as Yakul raced away from the corpses.

"I don't think we should have them attack, just in case," Ashitaka replied.

"Do you really think they'll be stopped by slower versions of humans?"

"Not both of them, but what if a member of their own pack dies? Then we would have to deal with the living corpse of a wolf on top of those things following us." Ashitaka had Yakul change directions from the road to the forest. The wolves were already on their feet, ready to charge at the small group of living dead when Ashitaka and San arrived. "Don't go!" He called to them.

"Ashitaka, I know that you care very much about other humans, but there is nothing stopping me from ripping those cursed dead into shreds!" Okami boasted, "There's nothing you can do to bring them back; don't try to save them."

"I'm not, but what if they kill one of you?"

Okami laughed and said, "One of them kill me? Or my brother? Or one of our pack? They are far too slow to even strike us. They can't even more their arms or legs! What are they going to do? Bite us? Scratch us?" Okami and Urufu led the other wolves in a charge against the reanimated bodies. There were only six living corpses, each one set upon by at least two wolves. Okami, Urufu, and Kiba attacked one of the larger ones while the rest of the pack began to claw and rip their teeth into the others.

"See? I told you my brothers and their packs would be fine," San said to Ashitaka, but he was still unsure. Seconds after she had assured him that the wolves would be fine, she heard one of them yelp. One of the corpses had been able to drive its arm into the mouth of one of Urufu's pack-mates. The corpse began to shake its arm in the wolf's throat, tearing the wolf from inside with its own sharp, long nails. The wolf began to vomit blood and collapsed. Two of Okami's pack ceased their assault on the corpse they had attacked to help. The living corpse moved faster than they had expected. It shifted its body so that his other hand was driven into the face of one of the other wolves, skewering its eyes and even breaking through its thick skull with its powerful, claw-like hand. With both hands impaling a wolf, the corpse was unable to protect itself from the third wolf's rampage.

San and Ashitaka stared on as the fight between the living corpses and the wolves dragged on, looking on in horror as another wolf was disemboweled by one of the stiff arms of a corpse. San was becoming agitated, itching to hop off of Yakul and help her brothers. She was about to leap off of Yakul to help, but she stopped herself when she saw more of the corpses in the distance, hopping towards the wolves. Her brothers noticed the impending creatures. Urufu stood his ground as Okami quickly returned to Ashitaka and San.

"You two need to leave, now," He ordered, "There isn't much you can do to help."

"Are you sure?" San asked.

"Yes, these things are strong, much stronger than I anticipated. Just go to wherever it is you need to go while we finish them."

"We'll be at the city," Ashitaka said, "I hope you and the others will be there."

Okami nodded and rushed back to help his brother and the packs as more of the corpses continued to hop towards the wolves. Yakul immediately turned back to the road and galloped towards the city. San gazed back at the wolves and the corpses until they were out of sight. "I should have stayed to help them." She muttered.

"If you did, you could have been killed," Ashitaka said.

"Maybe, but my brothers would have a better chance at surviving."

"They're strong enough to take on those monsters. They'll be at the city in a few days."

Yakul continued his lightning-speed gallop towards Kowarenai until the sun rose. Ashitaka and San were barely awake when they saw the towering outer walls.

"It's amazing," Ashitaka remarked, "It's even larger than the one Lord Asano used to rule over." Ashitaka got off of Yakul, bracing himself against the elk to keep his balance. "Where will you be if I need to find you?" He asked San as she shifted forward to grab hold of Yakul's reins.

"I won't be far, but I'll leave you some markings to lead you," She replied. Ashitaka nodded, remembering the system they would use to meet each other. She led Yakul into the forest and disappeared behind a cluster of trees. Ashitaka turned his attention back to the stone walls that overlooked the road. He took a quick breath and made his way to the gates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And for those who may think I put American/European inspired undead into a story set in Japan, search up "Kyonshī" to know more about those hopping zombie creatures.


	14. The Feudal Lord

Ashitaka walked up to the gate and bowed to the two guards standing watch. Neither returned his greeting. "What's your name?" The one on the left gruffly asked.

"My name is Ashitaka. I've come here from a distant land to-"

"Spirits or soldiers?"

"Excuse me?"

The soldier grunted and said, "We've been receiving an influx of peasants who've been leaving their homes because of invading warriors from Lord Korosu's land. There's also been a high number of people who have been coming into the city to seek refuge from spirits and demons that have been plaguing the countryside. It's interested Lord Oji wants us to keep track of why people are entering the city."

"Well, I suppose I'm here because of spirits, but I'm here to stop them."

"Uh huh, well the last bunch who tried that returned six men short of their original eight, so you have fun." The guard called for the gate to be opened and stepped aside for Ashitaka. "Lord Oji is in his palace. If you want to speak to him, go right ahead." He pointed to Ashitaka's sword and added, "You'll want to keep that sheathed while in the palace."

Ashitaka nodded and walked through the gate. The narrow city streets were crowded with men and women, many of which had come from a village outside the safety of the walls. Ashitaka gazed at the wooden buildings as he made his way through the crowded streets. He could smell a pot of soup being made in a nearby shop. The sound of a thousand voices battered his ears as he kept his eye out for the palace. He guessed that it wouldn't be too hard to spot amongst the small, two story buildings. Several people in the street were eying him. He supposed that they weren't too fond of outsiders.

Ashitaka found the palace after navigating through the streets for a half an hour. It was a four story building painted red with a green roof. There was a small courtyard in the front of the palace where cherry trees in full blossom stood in rows of ten. There were armed guards at every corner, each wielding a naginata, dressed in light gray robes with a black sash. There were several banners hanging from the roof of the palace, each sporting Lord Oji's crest of three black dragon's scales on a light gray background. The three dragon's scales were triangular in shape, with one above the other two. The three triangular scales were connected, forming an upside down triangle in the center. Ashitaka walked through the courtyard, avoiding eye contact with the guards. Pink flowers from the cherry trees sprinkled over him like a drizzle of rain. He made sure to brush them off of his clothes before he entered the palace.

As soon as Ashitaka entered, a clay cup flung at the doors hit the wall a foot away from Ashitaka's head. "Begone!" He heard a slightly nasally voiced man shout, "I want you out of my palace, of my city, out of my face! Tonight!"

"But, my lord-" One man meekly began.

"No!" The furious daimyo bellowed, "You so-called mercenaries are worthless! I can't believe you failed to perform a simple task: destroy a wooden gate!"

"But-"

"Silence! You two fools! I told you that it was dangerous to fight those demons! 'Oh, but we're no ordinary mercenaries, your lordship,' you told me! Perhaps if you listened instead of taking my advice and throwing it out the window, your friends would still be alive! Now leave! Before you join them in the afterlife!"

The two mercenaries nodded their heads quickly and left with their eyes at the floor. Lord Oji's puffy face was red with fury. He sat back down in his chair breathing heavily as sweat dripped down his shining forehead. Lord Oji was a tall and slightly wide man. He wore loose red and white robes and kept his jet black hair in a ponytail. Even after he had calmed down, his face was still red. A pair of women in heavy white makeup were helping to sooth him. As his sweating face was being stroked by the women, he gestured towards a tall, short-haired man dressed in orange robes near his right.

"Were you able to convince Lord Keihaku to accept our offer?" Lord Oji asked. He was attempting to whisper but his voice wouldn't allow it, making him sound like he had a hoarse throat.

"No, my Lord, but I was able to convince Honnochoko to accept the deal we had made with him previously."

"I see. So I take it that you're off to deal with Lord Sazan?"

"I wrapped up that part of the bargain on my way back."

Lord Oji made a single loud clap as he cheerfully said, "Koroshi, you never fail me."

The orange clad man bowed and said, "I aim for perfection. But, my Lord, it seems you have another visitor." He cocked his head towards Ashitaka. "I'll be in my garden, Lord Oji."

Lord Oji waved to the man as he walked past Ashitaka. The man took little notice of Ashitaka as he opened the adjacent door and disappeared into the crowded streets. Lord Oji sent the two women away and adjusted his posture so that he was sitting up straight. He glimpsed Ashitaka and beckoned him to come closer. Ashitaka did so and bowed deeply.

"You don't look like you're from anywhere nearby," Oji remarked, "Who are you? Where are you from?"

"My name is Ashitaka and I have arrived from Irontown, Lord Oji," Ashitaka replied, "I've come here because-"

"Irontown? That settlement isn't my problem. Ever since you people stopped selling iron, I stopped paying attention to what's been going on over there." He shifted around in his seat before he continued, "Still, I'm not going to turn away anyone who wants to help get rid of these demons. So how much you want to be paid?"

"Nothing."

Lord Oji's head jerked up when he heard Ashitaka say "nothing" and made a wide smile. "You're no ordinary mercenary, are you?"

"In truth, I'm not a mercenary. I'm just well trained."

"I'll take your word for it. I've been beginning to worry that I would never be able to have that gate destroyed. I'd send my own soldiers there, but they would be attacked by Kuroso's troops that are hiding in the forest. Oh wait, I haven't told you about the gate yet."

"Is it the one that leads to the temple north-east of here?"

Lord Oji was astonished. "Yes. How did you know about that?"

"It's a long story, but I know a bit about it."

"Like what?"

"It's where the spirits and demons are coming from. I just don't know if breaking the gate will stop them."

"Oh, it will. The problem is getting there. You see, in addition to the soldiers from Kuroso's land, there are a number of spirits who hang around the forest leading to the temple. If you can get past them, the gate shouldn't be too hard destroy. Just make sure you do it quickly and try not to attract any demons. I know a bit about them myself and wouldn't want to face a single one of them, especially one of the oni."

"What are those?"

"The worst of the worst, my boy. The red ones are the worst. They tower over humans and carry kanabo as large trees. It's also very difficult to kill them, partly because you're likely to be broken in half by one of their swings before your blade can even brush their skin. If you see one, just run. Other than that, I have no problems with you traveling through my land."

"So I can go to the temple?"

"Sure, my warriors won't try and stop you. I better make sure to tell them... give me a few days and come back to me. By then, I should have sent word to whatever men I have away from the city."

"Thank you, Lord Oji."

"I do need to know where you're going to be staying so I can send a messenger to tell you when you can travel to that old temple. Oh, and I'll also need to know if there is anyone else coming with you."

"Yes; my wife, San, and some wolves."

"Wolves?"

"Big white ones."

"Right... I'll send word to my men. I do need to get a description of your wife first and still need to know where it is you'll be staying."

* * *

San awoke next to a shallow pond with the sun blinding her eyes as it shone through the leaves above. She looked around to see if her brothers or any of their pack-mates had arrived yet. She saw Yakul asleep on the other side of the pond, but no wolves. She looked to her other side, towards the edge of the forest, and found Ashitaka sleeping next to her. She nudged on him the shoulder lightly, but he didn't wake up. He must have been sleeping deeply. San scanned the area once more for any sign of her brothers but found none. She sighed before returning to sleep.

When San awoke again there was still no sign of her brothers. Ashitaka, however, was beginning to stir. She looked up at the leaves and was no longer blinded by sunlight. It was late in the afternoon; she wondered how long she and Ashitaka had slept. Yakul was still asleep. She didn't blame him, considering how long and far he had to run. The two greeted in each with a long hug. When they released each other, he could see that she was worried; her eyes constantly looked to her left and right, as if she were looking for something. He looked around himself and found that neither Okami nor Urufu had yet returned.

"Do you know where your brothers are?" Ashitaka asked as he sat up against the tree they were under.

"No, but I could try calling them," San replied, "If I can howl loud enough, they should hear me and howl back." San gave as loud of a howl as she could, though it was nowhere near the volume her brothers were able to create. It echoed throughout the forest, causing a nearby flock of birds to fly away. After listening for thirty seconds with her ears strained, San heard no reply. "I guess they aren't nearby."

"I'm sure they'll turn up soon." Ashitaka assured her. He didn't feel like he was lying to her; he was sure they would arrive in a day or two, perhaps a few more.

San nodded her head and tried to change the subject. "Did you find what you were looking for in the city?" She asked.

"Yes; I've received Lord Oji's approval to go after the demons. He's assured me that his soldiers won't attack us if we move through his land."

"You went there to talk to a man? That's it?"

"He's at war and his soldiers are probably jumpy. The fact you and I are carrying weapons," He pointed towards his sword, "doesn't help. Think of it as a wolf moving through another one's territory."

"Oh, I see now."

"He said that he'll send a messenger over to us when he's sent word to his soldiers."

"So we just wait?"

Ashitaka nodded before he quickly came up with an idea to pass the time. "Why don't we see if we can find your brothers? I would have thought that they'd be back by now."

"I was hoping that they would be here an hour or so after us. I don't know what could have caused them to arrive so late."

"Come on, let's go get Yakul. Maybe we can find them somewhere back on the road."

San nodded and followed Ashitaka as they walked over to Yakul. He was still carrying their things in his bags but didn't seem bothered by the weight on his back. At first, he was reluctant to return to the road in fear of the demons they could encounter. He did not make his disquiet apparent to either rider and trotted off to the main road.


	15. The Catalyst

Okami and Urufu led the remaining wolves through the thick grouping of trees as they attempted to navigate their way through the forest. It had only been a few hours since they first encountered the creatures on the road. The moon's light was unable to penetrate the layers of branches and leaves above them, making the forest much darker than the one they had been raised in. Despite this, it was easy for them to find their way. Their snow-white hides were now covered in splotches of crimson blood. Most of the blood came from the hopping corpses. Some of the red patches had come from when they were seeing if their fallen pack-mates might have still been alive. Other streaks of blood came from other spirits they encountered in the forest. They had encountered a moving blob of pale colored flesh, several flying spirits that were enveloped in flames, and a demon which resembled a woman but could stretch her neck as if it was boneless.

"San told us about her encounter with a demon like that," Urufu remarked as he began to recall the demons they fought in an attempt to stave off the boredom of searching for a way out of the forest, "It didn't seem very strong."

"Maybe to us, but San cannot survive the same injuries we may receive," Okami said, "We can shake off arrows, glide past blades with ease, and probably walk through a burning forest if we wanted to, but she can do none of these things. Her hide is not thick enough, nor are her bones as strong as ours."

Urufu glanced at the deep cut the demon had left in his side. When he was cut, he only felt a brief moment of pain before he was able to wrestle the naginata out of the demon's hands with his jaws. He didn't know how far the blade had gone, only that it didn't seem to touch his ribs or stomach. It was not a shallow cut, however, and he believed that San would have likely been cut in half if she had been the victim of a similar wound. If the initial strike hadn't killed her, she likely would have died from blood loss or infection.

As the wolves continued in pairs or singles, restricted by the density of the trees, Okami began to growl. "What's wrong?" Urufu asked as they both stopped.

"Can you hear it?" Okami asked through gritted teeth, "Can you hear that bird singing?" Urufu listened intently and was able to hear the distant chirping of a sparrow. "That's a night-sparrow."

"Since when did you become so afraid of birds?"

"I'm not afraid of it, I'm afraid of what follows it! Those birds are rare and only come out when there are wolves approaching."

"So what? We're wolves; maybe it's chirping because of us."

"Normally I would agree, but it would be closer to us if that were the case. I could barely hear it until I began to pay attention and you didn't even hear it until I pointed it out to you. What I'm saying is this: we have encountered no wolves other than ourselves and our pack-mates, nor have we found any sign of our own kind in this forest, at least not this part. However, one of our pack, has seen a wolf."

"Just tell me what you're talking about, brother, I don't care for vagueness."

"Only one of our pack-mates has met another wolf ever since we were reunited. Ashitaka is our pack-mate by custom, as San is his mate, and the Black Wolf is the only other of our kind that we've run into."

"So you think that bird is chirping because the Black Wolf is nearby?"

"It isn't a guarantee; there may be other wolves nearby, but seeing as to how we have yet to meet another wolf that isn't a walking omen of death, I'm a bit on edge."

"But what about those wolves we encountered earlier on the road? Before we began traveling together again?"

"Maybe, but I don't know if they came up this way. They seemed to return deeper into the area we encountered them, but you could be right." Okami was trying to convince himself that it was just the other wolves, not the one he feared was close by. He was hesitant on continuing towards the direction of the bird's chirping, but he was positive that the road was in the same direction. He narrowed his eyes and turned around. "I don't think the road is that way. We should wait until day and continue on when we can better see."

"My sight is just fine. If you want, I can lead and you can follow close behind."

"What about the others? What if they stray away from us?"

"I'll ask them if they can see in this level of darkness. If they can't, we will stop."

Okami growled quietly as Urufu turned and began to ask the other wolves if they were able to see clearly. As he expected, they were able to see just fine. He could see with clarity as well, though he was hesitant to continue. "We rest here!" He bellowed.

"Are you alright?" Urufu asked as he returned.

"I'm a bit tired from the fighting earlier and I haven't eaten anything in a while. I feel a bit fatigued and would like to rest until tomorrow."

"But you're one of the hardiest in our combined packs. You and I don't even need to eat. We can stop if you want to, I suppose. After all, you're the older brother."

Okami sighed as he laid near a thick, looming tree. His mate and cub were snuggled next to him as he rested his eyes. Silently, he berated himself for acting in a cowardly manner. His pride made him want to stand up and order the others to continue on, but that would only expose his fear and have them brand him as a liar as well. He sighed once again as he waited for the sun to rise.

* * *

Only a few minutes after they had reached the main road, Ashitaka heard San draw her dagger. He turned his head to see her glaring over at the top of a hill they were about to pass.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"There, on the hill," She said as she pointed towards the ridge with her knife, "There's a group of humans hiding behind the tall grass. They're carrying weapons."

"Maybe they're Lord Oji's scouts." Ashitaka knew better than to walk blindly towards the hill. He stopped Yakul and eyed the crest of the hill. He couldn't see far beyond the near meter high grass and wondered if San had mistaken something for a soldier. He found it hard to imagine; the afternoon sun was bright and the only color on the hill was green. She wouldn't have mistaken the grass for the dark iron of a samurai's armor or a fighter's blade. "We don't need to follow the road." He finally said as he directed Yakul off of the path and towards the forest. "How much longer do you think we should continue looking for your brothers?"

"We should at least go to where we last saw them and head back. That may take us a day or two." Ashitaka nodded; he wanted to find San's brothers as much as she probably did, but he knew it would take time. He considered it fortunate that Lord Oji's messenger wasn't to arrive for several days. As he directed Yakul through the trees, he looked back towards the hill and saw a trio of men barely peeking out from the grass. One of them bore a flag on his back, though Ashitaka couldn't make out the symbol in the middle. He could see from it's cream background and blue center design that it wasn't Lord Oji's flag that the soldiers carried.

"I didn't think that the forest could be this dark during the day," Ashitaka remarked as they traversed the thick undergrowth and densely grouped trees. He swatted a mosquito as it landed on his cheek, wiping off what had splattered with his sleeve.

"Parts of the forest at home used to be as dark as this, even when the sun was at it's peak," San recalled, "Not that many parts of the forest, only a few areas near the pond." San felt her chest grow heavy and let out a deep breath. Her eyes lost sight of the forest around her as she was transported back to her home, how it was before the human had his way. She was racing her brothers from the pond to the den. It was a race they had done before and she had never won. She tried taking shortcuts: hopping on stones in the pond, leaping from tree branch to tree branch like the apes and sometimes falling when she grabbed the air by mistake, plunging into the water below. Her face was still pure, unmarked by the symbols etched into her skin by the apes when their struggle against the humans had reached a boiling point. When she and her brothers finally reached the den, their mother was sitting atop the cave. Her own eyes were distant, gazing towards the horizon but focused on the past. San wondered if her mother sometimes thought about her mate or her daughter, before the humans began to mine for iron in the mountains.

"San?" Ashitaka's voice brought San back to the present. Her eyes quickly centered on him. He didn't seem to notice that she hadn't been paying much attention. "I think these are your brothers tracks." San looked down from the elk and saw several pairs of wolf tracks that led towards where she and Ashitaka were before they turned to her left. There were more than just two pairs; she counted at least ten. "Maybe they were already going towards us."

"If they find that we're gone, they may start looking for us. We should go back so we don't start some sort of cycle."

Ashitaka turned Yakul around and had the elk lead them out of the forest. He remembered the warriors San had seen on the hill and asked the elk to avoid that part of the road. Yakul let out a slight grunt, an affirmative sign. San could hear him say "Alright" but knew that Ashitaka couldn't understand him.

They exited the forest and returned to the daylight. Ashitaka looked towards the sun with his eyes shaded by his hand. He guessed that they were in the forest for a little more than half an hour. If Yakul moved fast enough, they would be able to reach their campsite in only a few hours. Ashitaka took one last glance at the hill before Yakul was off in full gallop.

* * *

Okami sat patiently in silence as the other members of the pack tore the flesh off of a dead boar they had discovered, satisfying their hunger. He and Urufu had no need to eat, but the other members of their packs, including his own pup, had to eat to survive. He was sitting behind a small group of trees, watching the road with interest. He had seen a small group of humans on the road and stared as they hid behind a large, gray rock on the side of the road. They were well armed; two carried bows with blades at their sides while the other carried a flag, a naginata, and a shorter blade. He guessed that they were going to ambush an enemy group of soldiers, though he wondered how many warriors would be taken out by only three men. They were only one hundred feet away or so. He figured that he would be able to run all three of them down in ten seconds, maybe twelve. Still, he had no reason to attack them and let them be.

"We are almost ready to go," Urufu informed him as the younger wolf approached, "Are we going to remain close to the forest's edge?"

"Yes," Okami replied, turning his head towards his brother, "We don't want to make our presence known to the humans. If they see us, they might mistake us for demons and-" Okami cut himself off as he saw something moving in the corner of his eye. It was moving quickly, leaving orange streaks behind it. He shot his head towards the road to see Yakul carrying Ashitaka and San with lightning-like speed down the road. Urufu took notice as well. The two were about to howl so they could capture their attention when they heard a loud twanging sound.


	16. One Night in the City

San felt a sharp pain erupt from her side as she and Ashitaka rode past a few large boulders. An arrow had torn through her shirt, cut through her skin, and had become lodged in her body with the head sticking out three inches in front of her. Blood quickly began to trickle out of the wound in her body, staining her dress and running down to her leg. She let out a gasp of pain and instinctively grabbed the part of the shaft that had skewered her body before exiting. She grabbed onto Ashitaka's shoulder with her free hand and began to shake him. He turned around and saw her face twisted in pain. He saw the arrow embedded in her side and the blood flowing out from the gash. He had Yakul yield, holding onto San as the elk came to a near-sudden stop.

Ashitaka looked back to see where the arrow could have come from. He caught glimpse of three men hiding behind one of the large boulders. One of the three fired another arrow, though it flew over Ashitaka and San's heads by two feet. Ashitaka hopped off of Yakul and drew his bow. Yakul was conflicted; on one hand, he wanted to flee and simply return in a few minutes. On the other, he wanted to remain with Ashitaka to make sure his friend escaped. He also didn't want to have San fall off of him by accident if he did take off.

Ashitaka's hand had just touched the tail of one of his arrows when Okami and Urufu came charging out of the forest like a whirlwind. They split up halfway towards the rocks and easily flanked the humans who had taken cover. Ashitaka wanted to have the wolves leave at least one of the attackers alive so he could question him, but the two brothers made short work of the men. Okami simply swung one of his claws at the man closest to him, nearly cleaving his head off with the strike. Urufu pounced onto his victim and crushed his skull between his jaws. The last man tried to flee, but Okami caught up with him before he could take three steps. He raked the man's back with his claws and rammed him in the spine with his thick skull. Urufu finished the final attacker by cracking his skull open with his fangs. Blood dripped from the roof of his mouth and flowed onto his lips, making Urufu appear more menacing than he already did.

"Feed them to the pack!" Okami barked at Urufu as he angrily ran towards his sister, "San, how badly are you injured?"

"It's painful, but I'm fine," She replied through gritted teeth, "Ashitaka, can you help me get this arrow out from me?" Ashitaka nodded and broke off the tail end of the arrow. He carefully slid the remaining part of the arrow out from San's side by pulling on the arrowhead. She grimaced and drew sharp breaths until the arrow was completely out. Ashitaka threw the broken shaft to the side and helped San off of Yakul.

"We need to get you help. You might get an infection if you aren't treated."

"I just need to gather some ingredients for a healing salve and I'll be fine." She tried to stand unassisted but quickly buckled her knees. Ashitaka caught her and wrapped her arm over his shoulder.

"San, there's probably somebody in the city who works with medicine. You can get help there."

She wanted to shoot Ashitaka a look of censure but knew he was right. She lifted her white shirt up to see how badly the arrow had hurt her. She was still bleeding but didn't feel as though she had been hit anywhere important; the arrow had struck far below her heart and had missed her stomach. In the end, she sighed and nodded her head. "Alright, let's go."

"Can you show us where you two set up your camp?" Okami asked, "Urufu and I will be staying there along with the rest of our packs until you return."

Ashitaka nodded. He helped San get back on top of Yakul, lifting her until she was able to get her legs were draped around Yakul's sides. She winced as she shifted forward to allow room for Ashitaka. She breathed a sigh of relief as he placed his hands on her shoulders for support. She gripped on to Yakul's reins in one hand while she applied pressure to her injury with the other. Her two brothers were close behind as Yakul began to race back to the city. The other wolves were at the edge of the forest, matching Okami and Urufu's pace.

It only took Yakul a couple of hours to return to the campsite and show the wolves where they would be staying until the gate had been dealt with. Once San's brothers took a quick look at the area, they told Ashitaka that they would remain while he and San were in the city. Yakul darted towards Kowarenai, already tired from the hours of running. Ashitaka must have seen this because he told the elk that he didn't have to wait for them at the gates or any stables in or nearby the city, that he could go into the forest if he wanted to as long as he remained close to the campsite.

"You would probably think this would hurt less the second time, but it doesn't," San remarked as they neared the front gates, "Ah! It's even more painful."

"Don't worry, we're almost there," Ashitaka said, "The gates are right there and..." Ashitaka focused on the three men near the top of the gate. One of the men was a round, red-faced man with greasy black hair tied into a partial ponytail. Ashitaka was wondering why Lord Oji was speaking with the men watching the gate; he didn't seem like he left the comfort of his palace very often.

"...and nobody enters or leaves the city," Ashitaka heard the daimyo say, "Not until we repel the attack and those- oh, you're back already." Oji said, "Is that your wife? The woman you told me of yesterday?"

"Yes, and she's been injured," He replied, "Are there any doctors in your city who can treat her?" San wasn't looking at Lord Oji, instead keeping her head down and her eyes toward the ground.

"Sure thing; I've got a doctor of my own who can help her with whatever ails her." Oji commanded the gate to be opened. The men below acted instantly and pulled the heavy gates open in seconds. Ashitaka noticed that they opened much faster than when the guards in front had ordered it unlocked. He helped San off of Yakul, placing one hand under her legs and the other cradling her shoulders. She insisted that she could walk on her feet on her own power and took several steps before she almost stumbled. Ashitaka offered help, to which she nodded. He placed her left arm over his shoulders and they continued into the city. Ashitaka glanced back to see Yakul make his way back to the forest.

San's eyes kept towards the ground for most of the walk to the palace. When she did look up, her eyes danced between the signs hung over the buildings they passed. Ashitaka had been teaching her how to read for three years now and she now had a firm grasp of written language. The signs they passed advertised food, ceramics, building materials and tools, more food, furniture, sake, fish, and medicine made with strange ingredients such as boar's tongue and deer eyes.

Ashitaka pushed the palace door open with his shoulder. As he entered, he saw the orange-robed man Lord Oji had spoken to yesterday holding a bow in his hands with an arrow ready to be released. The man ordered a guard to toss a clay bowl into the air. The guard threw the bowl, nearly hitting the ceiling. The man's eyes followed the bowl up until the moment he let his arrow fly. The bowl had fallen two feet past its zenith before it was shattered by the man's steel-headed arrow. Ashitaka was very impressed by the man's accuracy. He wasn't sure if even he could make such a shot.

"Sorry about the mess, my Lord," The man said with a smile and a bow, "Just take the cost of the bowl the next time you pay me."

"Bah! I'll just take money from the guards' funds," Oji laughed, "It's not like they do much with it anyway."

"Whatever do you mean, my Lord? They're helping keep the men who sell saki afloat." Lord Oji and the man laughed together while the guards forced wide grins on their faces. Several others in the palace were laughing along with the daimyo. Ashitaka didn't crack the slightest smirk while San appeared more puzzled than humored.

"I always thought that was you're doing! Ha! Anyway, I suppose we'd better get back to business, defending the city and all that. Ah, but first," Oji pointed towards San and shouted, "Otonashi!" He called, "I've got somebody who needs a bit of treatment!"

A meek looking man no taller than five feet in height shuffled out from one of the hallways which led to the stairs. He was gangly and gray haired. He had a long mustache and thin, wispy goatee hanging below his chin. "You called, my Lord?" He asked in a wheezy voice.

"Pathetic old man," Lord Oji muttered under his breath, "Yes, Otonashi, do you see that woman over there?"

"You keep many women in the palace, my Lord."

"Imbecile! I mean the woman I'm pointing at! The one with those odd red triangles on her face!" San frowned and glared at Lord Oji, though he took no notice of her cold stare.

"Ah, is she a new-"

"Not this time," Lord Oji interrupted, "This one is a mercenary, of sorts, and the man keeping her on her feet is her husband."

Otonari walked over to Ashitaka and examined he and San. The old man noticed San glaring at Lord Oji and whispered to Ashitaka, "You have a strange taste in women, don't you?"

"I heard that," San said.

"Hm. Well, I should probably introduce myself before Lord Oji sends me away with you. I am Otonari, the Lord's personal doctor. I create medicines and I help broken bones heal properly." He glanced at the still-bleeding hole in San's side and said, "It appears to be nothing more than a flesh wound. I can help you recover in only a matter of hours. It will only cost-"

"Dammit, Otonari, I'll pay you myself! These two are working for me without pay, anyway!" Lord Oji shouted.

"Very well, my Lord. If you will follow me..." He said as he walked towards a hall leading to the stairs.

"I'll follow him myself," San told Ashitaka as she trailed behind the doctor, clutching her side tightly. Ashitaka kept his eyes on her to make sure that she didn't accidentally fall on one of the steps.

"Throw it!" He heard the orange robed man demand. He turned his head to see the man fire an arrow at another bowl. This time, he hit the clay bowl at it's peak, eliciting cheers from the others in the palace. "Alright, that's all for now. We don't want to run out of bowls for tonight."

"You can show off by shooting the other lords' bowls while they eat," Oji joked, "You, Akira," He said pointing to Ashitaka, "I'm hosting a dinner for some other scum who want my help against Lord Kuroso. I want you to join us tonight, show those so-called lords that I have other reliable allies."

"Very well, Lord Oji," Ashitaka replied. He had little interest in actually eating with Oji but agreed out of respect.

"Oh! And I would like you to meet my good friend, Koroshi," The orange-clad man bowed and smiled silently, "This man! This man! I would wager all of my land that he is the greatest archer to have ever lived. He can hit a bolt of lightning during a typhoon."

Ashitaka returned Koroshi's bow and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I see you're an archer, yourself," Koroshi said as he pointed his thumb towards Ashitaka's bow, "I don't believe I've ever seen a bow of that type before."

"He still probably couldn't out-shoot you," Oji boasted, "Anyway, we still need to discuss some of our plans in case Kuroso decides to prove he's a fool and attack us." Lord Oji and Koroshi made their way up a flight of stairs opposite the one San and the doctor had ascended. Ashitaka sat on a nearby pile of pillows as he began to wonder how bad Lord Oji's eating habits were.


	17. Boiling Point

"Just a little while longer and I'll be done with these bandages," Otonari said, "Once I'm finished, I'll need you to stay up here and rest for a few hours." San nodded silently. Her eyes traced the doctor's hands as he wrapped white bandages around her torso. His work was less than satisfactory; the bandages would occasionally overlap each other or were loose in different parts. He did cover the wound perfectly and tightly enough. San wished that he would hurry, caring little about how many more bandages she needed as long as the blood had stopped flowing. Her arms were tired from being held up as her bandages were being applied. She sighed out of relief when the doctor finally cut the excess wrappings and handed her clothes to her. She got into her purple dress and slipped her purple shirt on. "Now, I want you to stay up here for the night. His lordship is going to be holding a dinner for several important guests and it is likely to be rowdy. I'm sure that the guests wouldn't be too much of a problem for you, but I don't want to have to restart my work."

"What do you mean?"

"His lordship can be violent if he drinks enough and his guests of honor are reputably no better," Otonari shot a quick look over his shoulder before quietly adding, "They're also used to having women at their side during these events, and they're not afraid to take without asking. Do you understand?"

"No."

Otonari stared blankly at her and said, "Just don't come downstairs until tomorrow." He gathered the remaining bandages and his other tools as he left the room. San stood in place as he was leaving, looking for someplace to lie or sit down. She had to stand for several hours without moving, as ordered by the doctor. He told her after he had applied a faintly yellow, translucent paste-like substance to the arrow-wound. She had to stand with her arms raised as the paste dried, a time which seemed like several days rather than hours. Now that she could move around, she was curious and wanted to explore the palace.

The hall outside the room led to the stairs on one end and turned at the other. On the other side of the hall were two other rooms: Otonari's living space and the room where he stored his medicines and tools. The light in the area was very faint, created only by lanterns. A small at the end of the hall showed her that it was already night. When she stepped out of the room, she could hear that the dinner had already begun; there was shouting, laughing, and loud burping and slurping. She continued down the hall towards where it turned. The lighting was even worse, but she could see fairly well.

The first door she opened led to an unused bedroom. There was a futon near one corner, a desk against the wall, and several blank scrolls messily piled in another corner. There was dust in the air and cobwebs on the ceiling. San took only a few steps in before her nose began to tickle and she sneezed loudly, sending a cloud of dust from the desk into the air. She quickly left the room and closed the door before more dust could escape. She brushed her dress before she continued to the next room.

In the next room, she found another bedroom, though it was clearly still in use. A lantern was in the windowsill and appeared to have been lit only a few hours before. The futon was covered in yellow blankets decorated with blue flowers and purple butterflies. There was a biwa close to the futon. There were a few scrolls hung around the room. San read them and found that they were poems and songs. As she was leaving, she heard somebody running towards her. She turned her head to see a woman in heavy white make-up rushing towards the room San was standing in front of. She quickly uttered, "Excuse me," and slid past San. She picked up the biwa and played several strings before she hurried back down the hall.

The third room she entered was very poorly lit and appeared to be in disuse. It was not as filthy as the first room San had peeked into. She assumed that it had been vacated recently. It was near-empty, save for the shelves lining the walls that contained a small number of bottles. The bottles were empty, though uncleaned. She took one of the bottles and read the label. "Tiger fang," the bottle read. San scratched her head, wondering if there was some sort of medicine that called for it as an ingredient. She picked up another bottle which read, "ox horn." San guessed that the ox horn was used in the same medicinal recipe as the tiger's fang and replaced the bottle. She was sure that the rest of the bottles read similar ingredients and left the room.

As San was leaving the room, she saw another woman coming down the hall. The woman had white make-up like the other woman San had encountered. Her kimono was white with red flowers adorning the fabric. She had ebony black hair tied into a bun with a hairpin holding it together. She was looking at San and appeared slightly worried. When she was close to San, she asked, "Are you one of the new girls?"

San shook her head in reply and said, "I'm here to get rid of the demons."

"Oh. Forgive me, I didn't know. It's just that we're forbidden from entering that room by Lord Oji's command. I thought you had forgotten and didn't want to see you punished."

"Why aren't you allowed to go in there?"

"I am not very sure. I know that it used to be a storage room until it was converted into a bedroom for one of Lord Oji's guests. He stayed with us for some time until his lordship had him executed."

"What for?"

"I believe that he found out that the man was a spy for Lord Kuroso, but it may have been for a different reason. Anyway, the day after the man was executed, Lord Oji had his room completely cleaned out except for a few small things. Since then, he's forbidden anybody to enter the room."

"I don't think he'll care that I went inside. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Well, I hope that you enjoy your stay. If you will excuse me, I need to go downstairs to... tend to his lordship." The girl bowed quickly and continued down the hall with her eyes towards the ground. San continued down the opposite end, wondering why the previous room was off-limits. She was tempted to go back and continue looking but decided against it.

The subsequent rooms that San explored proved to be largely uninteresting. She was now on the fourth level of the palace, the top floor of the building. The guards in the palace hadn't been stopping her from exploring the palace; they had received Lord Oji's instructions to not interfere with she or Ashitaka and had assumed that it meant that she could also move freely through the palace. They kept their eyes forward whenever they heard her slide one of the doors open.

The final room on the fourth floor contained many scrolls sprawled about. Several were hanging on walls, others were scattered on the floor, and a few were neatly tucked away on shelves. San took one of the scrolls laying next to her feet and read it for several lines. She found that it was an old trade agreement and quickly tossed it aside. The next scroll she picked up was a message between Lord Oji and another daimyo regarding a dispute between the two that involved a wrongly attacked trade ship. San wasn't terribly interested in this scroll and put it on the shelf. The scrolls unrolled itself when she placed it on the shelf.

The third and final scrolls she picked up seemed to be a more private message between Lord Oji and another man by the name of Maho. At first, the message appeared to be a contract between the two that led San to believe that Maho was a mercenary. However, as she continued reading, she found that Maho was not a warrior of any sort.

 _I have instructed my soldiers to give you free passage of my palace, along with a personal room where you will be given a sleeping mat and the ingredients you need to open the gate,_ The scroll read,  _You will have access to whatever women you desire, even peasants whom you may find on the road or in a village. You will be granted an escort of four armed samurai who will accompany you wherever you may go. Your request for ten bottles of ground ox horns and ten bottles of ground tiger fangs will be fulfilled. You will be paid twenty kilograms of gold, a newly forged katana with a red handle with gold inlays, ten kilograms of incense, five oxen, a quarter horse, and a two-floor house built five miles away from the city of Kowarenai._

_In exchange for the mentioned payment and services offered, you will agree to travel to the shrine located sixteen miles northeast of Kowarenai and open the demon gate that lays on the path to the temple. The gate is to allow spirits and demons to enter into our world. The intent of this plan is to have these creatures wreak havoc within Lord Kuroso's lands. You have informed me that you should be able to control these demons if you open the gates. If it is discovered that you have delivered us false information about your skills, be it your ability to open the demon gate or to control the spirits that come forth, your rewards shall be redacted and you will be executed via beheading and disembowelment._

San read no more and tucked the scroll away. Her face was blank and her eyes stared at the scroll she had placed on the shelf. She had found out why the demons were there and how they had arrived. Despite her stoic demeanor, rage had filled her from head to toe. Her fists were clenched tightly and shaking, her knuckles white and the tips of her fingers stinging. She wanted the human lord dead. She wanted him dead for having the demons let loose into the world to cause mayhem, all so that he could acquire more land and power.

San went to one of the windows at the end of the hall and looked up towards the roof. She carefully maneuvered her way onto the top of the roof, overlooking the city. Much of the city was dark, though parts of it were illuminated by lanterns. On a nearby rooftop, she thought she saw a large black dog. She was not far off, but found that it was the same demon which had plagued her brothers and Ashitaka. The black wolf stared at her with its featureless white eyes, but she held her ground. She could see why it terrified Ashitaka; the mere sight of the demon had caused her to sweat and almost caused her to step back into the palace.

"Go away," She muttered at the demon. To her surprise, the wolf complied and leapt to another rooftop, then another, and finally disappearing once it jumped towards a third. She wasn't sure whether or not the demon had simply become too difficult to spot in the darkness, if it had become entirely invisible, or if it had somehow manifested somewhere else. The fear had made her legs shake, but she wasn't about to back down.

Looking up towards the sky, San took in a deep breath and let out an ear-piercing howl, one louder than any she had done before. She hoped that it would carry over to her brothers, as it was a call for help. Her call for help, however, was not because of the black wolf.

* * *

Ashitaka was sitting quietly at the table as Lord Oji continued to tell jokes with his guests, roaring with laughter without stop. Ashitaka couldn't understand the daimyo's humor; many of the jokes were nonsensical, crude, or uncreative. Sometimes they were all three. The food was excellent and well cooked. Bowls of rice lined the table along with platters of fish and vegetables. He didn't eat very much and spent half of his time ducking scraps of food being thrown about by Lord Oji and his newly made friends. He was wondering how San was doing, whether or not she was asleep. He doubted that she would be able to rest with all of the noise going on downstairs. He thought of excusing himself from the company and going up to see her. It would not be necessary, as she came down herself. Ashitaka was astonished that she would enter a room with so many humans. She was carrying her spear and dagger. She was wearing her fur pelt and had her mask covering her face.

San ignored the shouts she received as she entered the room and headed straight for Ashitaka. "I need to speak with you," She said, "We're about to leave."

"Why's that?" He asked as he stood up. San reiterated what she had read in the scroll, making sure to speak in barely more than a whisper. Ashitaka bit his lower lip and said, "What do you think we should do?"

"I already know what I'm going to do." Ashitaka noticed her hand resting on her dagger.

"San, no," Ashitaka pleaded, "There has to be some better way."

"I'm not stopping. I'm not going to let you hold my arm and tell me not to kill him. If you try, I'll just pull myself away and go after that human anyway." She drew her dagger and turned her eyes towards the red-faced daimyo. "Meet my brothers at the gate and tell them that I'll be there very soon." She leaned in closer to his face and looked into his eyes. Though he couldn't see her own past the mask, he could feel that she was staring at him. With her gray eyes wide, she sharply whispered, "Run."

Ashitaka knew there would be no stopping San this time. He silently bowed his head and quickly left his place at the table. Lord Oji called him and asked what he was doing, saying that they weren't even halfway through with the dinner. San turned completely towards him with her dagger drawn and behind her back. Slowly, she made her way towards Lord Oji.

"I've never seen this sort of performance before," Lord Oji joked, "What sort of tease are you going to do before you remove that mask?"

San didn't answer. Instead, she stopped mere inches away from the daimyo and waited to see what he did. He and his guards must have been handicapped by their drinks worse than she had believed; they didn't even seem to think that it was suspicious of her to approach with one hand behind her back. She couldn't believe that the guards behind her didn't even see her dagger. It didn't matter much to her anyway; if they didn't see it then, they would now. She grabbed Lord Oji's shirt collar with her free hand and pulled him into her knife. The blade cut through his flesh and pierced his heart. His guests all screamed and backed away from the wolf girl as she dropped his limp body to the ground.


	18. Die Young

Ashitaka sprinted through the mostly-empty streets of Koworenai as he heard screams erupting from the palace. His feet carried him as fast as possible despite the aching pain that began rising in his legs. He wasn't particularly happy that San killed Lord Oji, but he appreciated that she did so when the city streets were practically deserted. He had his sword drawn in case any of the guards tried to stop him; he knew that there was a good chance that several of them heard the joyous commotion turn into terrified shrieking. As he neared the gates, he saw why there weren't any guards on the streets.

"Hold!" One of the captains ordered. Lining the walls of the city, soldiers had their bows drawn and aimed towards an army of Lord Kuroso's soldiers.

"Those bastards must have known that Lord Oji was meeting with the other lords," One soldier said to the man on his right, "It would be the perfect time for them to eliminate more than one threat."

"How many do you think there are?" The guard asked.

"I can't see too well. A lot of them have torches... maybe four thousand?"

"We don't even have half as many men here! How are we supposed to fight them back?"

"That's easy," The captain said as he smacked the back of the sentry's head, "We fire at them when they move into range so that they can't reach the walls. If they do, we knock over their ladders. If they try to knock the gates down, just throw a bunch of crap on them."

"What if there are more of them?"

"If there's more in front of this wall only, we should be fine. If they surround us, however, we'd better hope that Lord Oji can get somebody out of the city to get help. We can't kick every single ladder on this wall if they flank us."

"Even if we did just push their ladders down, would a a fall from this height kill them?"

"These walls are forty feet high, at least. There's no way they can survive a fall that high."

Ashitaka saw a large mob of men facing the gate. Each guard had a naginata directed at the heavy wooden doors in case any of the invaders were able to break through. "I'll never get through them," He muttered to himself, "And those walls are too high for me to jump off."

"Get out of the way!" One of the guards cried out. Ashitaka snapped his head towards a group of men who suddenly scrambled away from their post. Seconds later, he saw a pair of glowing yellow-green eyes appear in the darkness. In the torchlight, he saw Okami and Urufu as they made their way onto the ramparts, shaking off arrows as if they were ant bites. One guard tried to charge that the two with his katana. Urufu rammed his head against the man's torso, throwing him off the wall and through the roof of a nearby shop. All but the captain backed away from the two white wolves. The captain attempted to do what the other sentry had failed. Okami was the one who threw him off the wall, towards the side unprotected by the city's defenses, smacking him over the edge and onto the grass forty feet below.

"Do you think he survived?" Urufu asked.

"No human could survive a fall from that height," Okami replied, "And even if he somehow did, the other humans will deal with him."

"Are those wolves talking?" One guard whispered to a nearby comrade. Okami and Urufu both glared at the man. He quickly backed away, tripping over his dropped weapon as he did. The two wolves leapt onto a nearby rooftop, and from there jumped onto the ground. They rushed over to Ashitaka as the guards watched in awe.

"Where's San?" Okami demanded, "She called for us only minutes ago."

"She's coming, I think," Ashitaka replied, "She might not be going through the streets though."

"Why? What's wrong?" Urufu asked.

"She killed Lord Oji, the man who rules over this region, because she discovered that he had hired a man to open the demon gate. She told me to run before she killed him."

"Where is she now?"

* * *

San quickly sheathed her dagger and drew her spear as the others in the room drew their own weapons. She counted her foes: three human lords armed with katanas, eight guards armed with naginatas (all of whom were guarding her nearest exit), and five servants who likely had no skill in fighting, though could probably try and grab her. She knew she wasn't the most gifted in combat; she could definitely block blows from an enemy, but she could have a hard time landing one of her own. She wasn't comfortable fighting in a closed space with so many enemies. If she was outside, she might have been able to pick them off one by one, but she was in an environment more suited to humans. As she was studying her enemies, she noticed that there was one human missing. It was the one dressed in orange, though she did not know his name. She guessed he was a servant, though noted that Lord Oji seemed quite fond of him.

"There's no escape for you, cold-blooded murderer," One of the guards warned her, "If you surrender to us now without struggling, I'll see if your execution will be less painful than what we have in store for you."

"I'll never let you humans touch me," San sneered, "You couldn't even catch me if I ran."

"Oh? And what if we did? You've no idea of the pain that you would endure before you were put to death."

San knew that humans could be cruel, though she didn't know how malicious a human with as much power as Lord Oji could act. She knew that if she was caught, one of the other human lords would likely have her humiliated and tortured before beheading her. Either way, surrender would end in her death. She sighed as she lowered her spear and tucked it away.

"Alright, good, now stay where you-" San didn't allow the man to finish and bolted up the stairs, gliding up each step like a rabbit. As her head snapped towards the steps, her earrings made a high-pitched tinging sound.

"Bitch!" One of the guards shouted. The eight men came after her, though they stumbled over one another as they all tried to walk up the rather narrow stairs at the same time.

She hurried through every floor, charging through anybody in her path. Those who were perceptive enough to see her coming down the hall pressed against the wall as she scurried past. The guards following her were much slower due to their armor. At one point, one of the men ran into his own weapon as he tried running through a partially open door while holding his naginata sideways. The other guards roughly helped him to his feet and they continued their pursuit of the wolf girl.

San reached the top floor and headed for the window she had climbed out of earlier. She quickly got onto the roof and emitted a quick but loud howl. She looked down at the streets, pleading silently for her brothers to show up. She cracked a smile when she saw them both running down the streets towards the palace. Ashitaka was riding on Urufu's back and seemed to notice her howl. The two wolves stopped several feet in front of the gates to the palace courtyard and told San to climb down. She nodded and used every crack and edge of the palace walls to her advantage. She imagined she was climbing a tree or a rock face, digging her fingers into anywhere she could keep her grip. It was difficult; her fingers were cut by the rough stone of the walls. When she finally reached the bottom, her fingers were bleeding.

"Where are we going?" She asked as she hopped onto Okami. The two wolves quickly headed away from the palace and towards the eastern wall.

"Back to the camp. Yakul and the rest of the pack is there and we should be able to get you two away from this place," He replied, "The only problem is that there's close to five thousand humans blocking our path."

"We can go around them," Urufu suggested, "Even if it means we have to dodge a few arrows."

"It's a risk we'll have to take," San said.

* * *

Koroshi had followed the wolf girl to the top of the palace, having shoved his way past the guards and using a great deal of strength to pull himself onto the roof. From his own personal armory, he had retrieved a seven foot long yumi bow and ten steel-tipped arrows. He knew the bow was no good against armor, even with arrows like the one in his quiver. However, it would shoot further than anything else in his possession. He knew that his accuracy would suffer at such a distance, but that did not bother him. He studied the streets and easily spotted the two large white wolves making a break for the eastern wall. There were no gates there; they would be climbing out. At four hundred feet away, he would have to draw his string back further than usual, but it was nothing he hadn't done before. He waited as the wolves leapt onto the ramparts before he fired. The arrow came up short and landed on a rooftop nearby. He calmly pulled out another arrow, made adjustments to his stance and drew his string back even more. The wolf carrying the girl was already on the ramparts. He let his arrow fly.

* * *

Just as Okami had hopped into the air, he heard Ashitaka gasp in shock. He didn't turn his head until he saw Urufu hop down the walls before he quickly scaled them once more after Ashitaka dismounted. "What's going on?" Okami asked.

"San!" Ashitaka exclaimed as he lifted San off of her brother. Tears began to well in his eyes as he slowly, carefully lowered her onto the ground, keeping her upper body elevated. A steel-tipped arrow was protruding from her chest. San wasn't wincing in pain or making any sharp gasps. Her gray eyes lay open yet empty. Her limbs were limp and her head had cocked to one side. Okami backed away from her and looked up at the walls. Over the walls, he could see a man standing on the roof of the palace. The man was holding a bow larger than he. The wolf began to fill with rage, but he knew what would happen if he let it consume him. Still, it did not stop him from charging back up the wall and towards the palace, releasing a whirlwind of curses directed at the human as he clawed up the stone and back into the city.

Ashitaka remained outside the walls as he desperately searched for any signs of life in San. He listened for breathing but heard none; he watched her eyes to see if she would blink or look to her left or right but saw no movement; searched for a pulse in her wrist but found none. Tears streamed down his face as he broke off the arrowhead with his thumb and gingerly removed the shaft from her chest. He closed her open mouth and tenderly closed her eyes as he laid her head on the ground. He sat next to her on his knees with his fists planted into the ground. He couldn't hold it in; he hugged San one more time as he began sobbing uncontrollably. His compassion for San overwhelmed him, making his chest heavy with agony. In his darkest hour, he let out a moan as he buried his head into her collarbone, trying to muffle his wails as they reverberated in the nearby forest.

* * *

Watching in the forest was the black wolf. It had completed its masters order and was ready to return. It had given Ashitaka and the two white wolves fair warning of San's death, though they couldn't see it. It wondered if the wolf girl even knew why it had appeared to her last, though it didn't matter much anymore. He silently vanished into smoke as he returned to the demon gate.


	19. Rest In Peace

At the southern gates, a battle between the forces of Lord Kuroso and the defenders of Koworenai had broken out. The men on the walls fired arrows at the invaders, having lost their sense of order with the death of their captain. It was a rather hopeless battle; the five-thousand strong invading force had a legion of samurai with them while the defenders had only a small handful. The shouting coming from both sides could be heard everywhere in the city. Ashitaka, however, heard nothing except for the sound of his own whimpers as he cradled San's lifeless body. He had removed the arrow that had pierced her heart and broke it in half. He threw the two pieces against the wall in frustration before he returned to San with vain hope that she had somehow survived. He held her for what felt like months before he came to his senses. She was not coming back.

Ashitaka sat silently with his back against the wall. The rest of the wolves had arrived from the camp, curious to see what the commotion near the forest was, and were shocked to find that San had been killed. Ashitaka didn't even look up and acknowledge them; his eyes were fixated on the ground, away from San's body. The wolves looked up when they heard the sound of a human screaming from the city. They watched as Okami and Urufu tore a man wearing orange clothes to shreds, throwing his body off the top of a tall building. Ashitaka heard the screams as well and wondered if they were going to kill the others in the palace. He didn't wish death upon them; most hadn't even laid a finger on San. But he knew the wolves weren't going to be stopped, not in their seething fury. He just hoped it didn't overcome them like it did their father.

Yakul walked past the wolves and over to San's corpse. He could see the arrow wound in her chest, dead center, a strike through her heart. His gaze turned to Ashitaka, who didn't seem to notice the elk's presence. He made his way to Ashitaka, stepping around San's body out of respect, and brushed his muzzle against Ashitaka's hair. Ashitaka looked up and smiled sadly at Yakul as he brushed his snout. His smile faded quickly as his hand drooped back to his side. He wondered if Yakul was saying anything and what the elk would say if he could understand.

"I should have never let her kill him," Ashitaka murmured to himself, "I should have stopped her. If I had, she'd still be alive."

"As much as I hate to say it, that's not necessarily true," Okami said as he returned down the wall. Streaks of blood painted his mouth. Urufu stood next to him with a coat of red over his white face. "The black wolf is an omen of doom. It was probably trying to tell us that San was going to die, trying to somehow make us ready." Okami clenched his jaws with immense pressure, so much that Ashitaka worried that the wolf's teeth would crack. "But that doesn't make this any less of a tragedy, nor does it make the consequences of that human's actions any less dire." Okami stood next to San's body and nudged her side with his nose. He knew there would be no response, but he felt it was a proper goodbye as any. For the first time that Ashitaka had known Okami, tears began to form in his eyes. "Us wolves do not have a custom for sending the dead to the Afterlife, though we mourn our dead by howling. San is a wolf in spirit but a human in body. Ashitaka, I think it would be proper for her to be buried, like the rest of your kind when they pass."

"I can dig the grave," Urufu offered, "And I think it would be proper to have her buried in the forest."

"I agree," Ashitaka replied as he fingered the necklace of teeth San had given him several years before, "Do you think I should bury this with her?"

"No. It was a gift from her to you. Besides, she has the necklace you gave her before we battled alongside the boars. She would probably prefer to be buried with that."

Ashitaka nodded, though he wasn't entirely with his mind. They were so close to the gate, perhaps only one more day, and he had begun to believe that they would return home safely, together, and return to their normal lives. He wondered what he would tell Kaya. He wasn't sure he could even face her.

"Ashitaka, we need you to help bring her to the forest," Okami said, "I would bring her myself, and I'm sure my brother would too, but carrying her in our jaws doesn't seem right."

"Yes... alright," Ashitaka choked. He stood from the dirt, brushing dirt from his backside as he did, and knelt down to pick up San. She felt so much heavier than he remembered as he lifted her. Her head hung to the side. Ashitaka's chest grew heavier with grief. "I'm sorry," He said to Okami and Urufu.

"There isn't anything you could have done to save her," Okami said.

"No, I mean..." Ashitaka took a deep breath before he continued, "If I stopped her from killing him, she'd probably still be alive."

"We knew her well enough to know you'd have a hard time stopping her. Don't be so hard on yourself. I don't want to lose another member of the pack."

Ashitaka was touched, but he didn't feel like a member of their pack. His only connection with the wolves was with San. He shuffled over to Yakul and draped San's body over Yakul's saddle. His stinging, teary eyes seemed to stare at the distant mountains. His face displayed a blank expression.

"There's a pond nearby. I'm sure she would like to be buried there," Urufu suggested.

"Yes..." Ashitaka's voice trailed off as his gaze to the wolves, "Lead the way."

"Are you okay?" Ashitaka tilted his head up and down, barely nodding. "Follow us."

Ashitaka walked alongside Yakul as the wolves made their way through the forest. He kept his eyes off of San, unable to believe she was dead. He had tried so hard to ensure a peaceful life for he and San, for their daughter. He tried to protect San from a violent death. He couldn't help but feel that it was his fault she had died, even though he knew it wasn't.

The wolves continued deep into the forest. All around them the kodama looked down curiously at the girl riding on the elk and the man walking at their side. The kodama ahead rattled their heads, creating thousands of clicks echoing throughout the forest. When Okami and Urufu walked past them, however, their heads ceased shaking. Ashitaka barely noticed them as he passed by. His body was automatically following the wolves while his mind wandered elsewhere. He was watching his memories, from when he met San to the moment their daughter was born. For a moment, he was happy and beaming. When Okami caught glimpse of Ashitaka smiling, he raised an eyebrow and thought,  _Humans must have strange practices of mourning._

The wolves reached the pond, a shimmering pool that reflected in the moon's pale light. Okami and Urufu sat by the edge of the bank as they admired the full moon. The other wolves remain close behind, though they didn't walk past the trees.

"Let's get to digging the grave," Okami sighed. Urufu bitterly nodded and the two began to paw through the dirt close to the water. Both were struggling to maintain their composure, though they were doing a better job than Ashitaka, who they had noticed was trembling by the time they reached the pond. Okami was still wondering why Ashitaka had smiled earlier.

Ashitaka gingerly laid San next to the pond while the wolves continued digging. They were scooping up small mounds of dirt every second. He doubted it would take them very long to finish. He sat at the pond's edge and rolled up his pant legs to the knee. He dipped his feet into the water as he stared up at the stars and moon. The pond before him wasn't much larger than the pond near Irontown. There was no island in the middle but the water was much clearer.

His eyes moved from the sky towards San. If it wasn't for the wound in her chest, he would have thought her to be sleeping. He wondered where she was now, what sort of place the Afterlife was. According to the wise woman from the Emishi, it was a gray, bleak place with low hanging fog and wandering souls. Jigo said that some traders from far across the ocean believed in two different lands of the dead, depending on their actions in life. He wished he could join her that instant, the two inseparable in another world. His mind thought back to what San's mother had told him to do when his arm was cursed: to end it all. He shook his head; San wouldn't want him to throw his life away and he needed to return to Kaya.

"Ashitaka!" Okami nearly yelled. The wolf's booming voice snapped Ashitaka back to reality and he turned towards the two brothers. "We're done."

Ashitaka silently nodded as he lifted San's body one last time and trudged over to the grave. It was a four foot deep pit without any uniform shape. He prudently stepped into the grave and set San down onto the cold, soft earth. He climbed out of the hole and stood staring down at her body. The crystal necklace she had given him glimmered in the moonlight, sparkling against her dirty white dress.

Suddenly, Okami threw his head towards the moon and unleashed a thundering howl that rung in Ashitaka's ears. His brother was soon to join, turning his head towards the sky and releasing a near-deafening howl. The rest of the wolves joined in, creating a choir of mourning voices, of sorrowful wails that resonated throughout the forest. Their howling lasted for five minutes, and at the end, tears dripped silently from Okami and Urufu's eyes.

"It is my regret that our sister grew up knowing only violence and hatred for much of her life," Okami lamented, "And it is my sincerest thanks that she," He turned his head to Urufu, "You, and I were able to escape a fate that had befallen Nago, Lord Okkoto, and our own father. We had achieved peace with the humans, at great sacrifice to them and to us, including the life of our mother. It should have been the end of our struggles and our heartbreaks. We had our own packs –our own families– which we would be able to live with in harmony. But now we have lost four of our own: Akairo, Bakushin, Sekkachi... and San."

"Her death will not be in vain!" Urufu growled, "The reason she was here was to prevent the demons from harming her daughter, not to continue to battle against humans. Ashitaka, come morning I want you continue leading us to the gate." Ashitaka nodded. Perhaps if he completed the task they had come here for, he would find some form of closure. Urufu let out one last extended growl before he raised his head towards Ashitaka and asked, "Is there anything that you would like to say?"

Ashitaka nodded, but his eyes were still fixated on San and his lips remained shut. As he gazed down into her grave, the realization of him never seeing San again washed over him. The last knot in his heart came undone and he began to sob in front of the wolves. None of them thought less of Ashitaka as he began to break down in front of them, covering his face with his hands as he collapsed to his knees.

"San," He choked between sobs, "I don't know if you can hear me, but I want you to know this: I love you, so much, and... and I'm going to miss you."


	20. Carry On

Dew drops from the leaves above dripped onto Ashitaka's nose as the sun rose. He sat up and pulled his knees to his chest, lowering his head as tears began streaming down his face. The night before, he had broken down even further, to the point where he couldn't stand up. The wolves wanted to try and comfort him, but they didn't know how to console humans; they usually killed the ones they encountered. He was eventually able to fall asleep after a few hours of silence. The wolves finished burying San while Ashitaka slept, feeling it would be better if he didn't see them filling the grave. Ashitaka noticed they had finished when he awoke. Laying atop the dirt was her mask, a mark to identify the site of her grave.

"You will meet her again one day," Okami said when he noticed Ashitaka staring at the mask, "And I know my brother and I will, as well." Ashitaka looked over to San's eldest brother with dark, distant eyes. The other wolves were asleep, laying under the trees and near the pond. Yakul was close to Ashitaka, drinking from the pond. "If it makes you feel any better, we avenged her death."

"I know, but it doesn't make me any happier," Ashitaka said.

"I didn't think it would," Okami mumbled, "But it's probably the only form of justice she would have received." Okami walked over to the grave and began to stare down at the mask himself. He had felt mostly anger throughout the night, as did his brother. The two had gone back to the city to watch the ongoing battle while Ashitaka grieved, believing that it might exorcise their rage. When they returned, they saw the opposing armies battling in the field before the front gate. Reinforcements for Lord Kuroso's forces had arrived and were using ladders to scale the western wall.

"I wonder who gave the order to open the gates and attack," Urufu said, "It seems like a foolish move."

"We killed their captain, San killed their leader. Their leadership isn't exactly at its peak," Okami remarked, "Remember when the boars charged the humans? The humans are doing a similar tactic, but they have not the strength nor numbers to do it. I wouldn't be surprised if the invaders took the place by tomorrow morning."

The two wolves watched as the gates closed, leaving more than one hundred of Lord Oji's defenders outside. "They left them there to die," Urufu said, "I can't say I'm surprised."

"Perhaps we should open the gate to let the attackers inside. Serves those humans right for abandoning their comrades."

"You just want to watch more humans die, don't you?"

Okami hesitated before nodding. "And I say so not only because of our sister's death at their hands. You heard what she told us: they opened a gate to a world of spirits and demons. The folly of their plan is enough to warrant their death! Do you know how many different spirits there are, brother? Hundreds, if not thousands, and we've only seen a dozen or so. Can you imagine how powerful some of these beings are? How evil their intents may be?"

"Even then, it isn't as though these other humans had a say in what their lord did. The man responsible for opening it is dead."

Okami huffed and said, "I suppose some of what Ashitaka has said to us in the past is growing on you."

"Yes, and with good reason. You saw what happened to our father, how his flesh twisted and contorted as his transformation into a demon took place. I don't want to end up like he did. We may live life eternal unless killed, but if I ever do die, I refuse to face death as a monster."

Okami turned his head back to the battle and watched as the attackers from the west came down to strike at the defending army. He could barely hear the clanging of steel against steel. He could clearly make out the shouting from both sides; the attackers were taunting the defenders while the men trying to hold the city were struggling to communicate with each other. "Perhaps you are right. It is not as though they had a predetermined plan to kill San. She was simply unfortunate enough to come upon whatever led her to discover who ordered the gate opened."

"Her killer is dead, by our hands no less. She may have been calmer than she used to be, but I'm sure she would have approved our actions. I don't know what her mate thinks of it."

"He'll probably be indifferent; I can't imagine he would want his mate's murderer to continue living."

"Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps he would have suggested some other form of punishment."

The two brothers watched the battle for two hours more before it became clear that the city wouldn't last much longer. The three dragon's scales banners were being lit by Lord Kuroso's men. The front gate had been opened, allowing a flood of soldiers to burst into the city walls. "Let's go back to the pond," Urufu suggested, "We should finish the grave and bury San. I don't want to see Ashitaka's reaction to us piling dirt onto her."

The two brothers tried to keep their eyes off of their sister as they returned the dirt to the grave. Before they did, Okami hopped into the grave and retrieved San's full mask, holding it in his teeth as he lay it next to the hole. He also pulled her half mask over her face, the very one she wore into battle alongside the boars. He was surprised the mask was still intact, though he was more shocked when they found it while hunting several years ago. He had always thought that it had broke when a landmine went off nearby he and San. "What do you think would have happened if, by some small miracle, we defeated the humans in that battle?" Okami asked.

"The one that ended with the Forest Spirit's death? I'm not sure," Urufu replied, "Even if we destroyed their town, our mother would still be dead along with the Forest Spirit. Maybe Lord Okkoto would have survived, but I can't say. I don't even remember much of the battle; I was trapped under a pile of boars for most of it. Why are you asking?"

"I was wondering what life would be like for our sister if we had won: if she would have still taken Ashitaka as a mate, if she would have ever lost her resentment towards humans. Those questions we have that seem like they will never be answered. If we had won, perhaps she would still be alive."

"Neither side won, brother. We lost our homes, but so did the humans, and both sides suffered great losses. Besides, these demons we've been encountering have nothing to down with the humans from where we're from, just the ones here. We were simply unfortunate enough to come across them."

"You say that, but Ashitaka said that woman is the one who pointed out this gate."

"You're still pinning this on all humans, aren't you?"

Okami growled but gave no reply. The two continued their work in silence before finally laying the full mask on the dirt. "I'm going to sleep," Urufu said, "Waken me when we leave."

"Of course," Okami said as his brother found his mate. Okami went to his own family and laid down, but he had trouble falling asleep. His eyes studied Ashitaka, who was a crumpled heap. He had neglected putting up a tent or even pulling a blanket over himself. He was somewhat startled by Ashitaka's reaction. He and Urufu would have never dissolved into tears like Ashitaka did, and many other humans the wolf brothers had seen never seemed to be emotional, even during funerals for their kin. Then again, Ashitaka was from an isolated tribe. He supposed it was different over there.

* * *

Ashitaka and Yakul followed the wolves as they continued on to the gate. Two days had passed since they left Koworenai and they still had close to an hour until they reached the temple. He had been struggling with getting over San's death. He knew it was likely something he would never completely get over, but he also knew it wasn't healthy to continuously mourn her. All in all, he was able to keep his composure; his head was held high and his eyes were facing ahead. Ever since they set out again, he hadn't spoken a word.

At last, they finally reached the gate. It was a simple arch painted red and white. The temple that lay ahead of it lay in ruin, unused for decades now. Ashitaka wondered if it had been destroyed in a battle or if it had simply wasted away to time and nature's reclamation. He supposed it was the former, as the stone didn't seem like it would be eroded so badly to the point that it was falling apart.

"Well, this is it," Ashitaka remarked as he dismounted Yakul, "I don't quite know what I was expecting, but I'm sure this is it."

"How do you plan to break it down?" Okami asked.

"It looks like this thing is barely standing on its own. I'll probably just hit it with a rock a few times." Ashitaka joked. Okami was relieved to see that Ashitaka was beginning to break out of his grim shell.

"You have fun with that, then. My brother and I will wait here and-"

A sudden roar cut off Okami. The wolf turned to find his pack staring at the path which they had come from. They were wondering what created the sound, as it sounded like a cross between an ox's bellow and a tiger's growl. And whatever had caused it also sounded close.

"What was that?" Ashitaka asked.

"I'm not sure," Okami replied. He joined the rest of the wolves as they waited on the path with their eyes peeled and their claws ready. Suddenly, he and the other wolves backed away.

"What in the world is that thing?!" Urufu exclaimed as a large, blue demon came trudging down the path. It resembled the cross of an ox and a tiger but with humanoid legs and hands. It's black claws held a kanabo that was six feet in length, only one foot shorter than the beast carrying it. It had wide, curved horns of ivory and long yellow fangs that protruded from its mouth. It's black hair hung loosely around its shoulders. Its body was heavily muscled, appearing to be far stronger than any human could every become. With every step the creature took, it let out a slight huff from its snout. It stopped just before it entered the section of the path flanked by wolves. Ashitaka was standing fifty feet away from the demon, but he remained still, fearing he would provoke it by moving.

"Should we attack it?" One wolf asked Okami.

"No, let's just see what it does first," Okami replied, "Maybe it just wants to go back through the gate."

Okami thought for a moment that he was right when the blue demon began moving towards the gate. As it came closer, Ashitaka began to move out of its way. With lightning speed, the blue beast rammed into Ashitaka, shoulder-first. Ashitaka smashed into the ground as the wolves began to charge at the beast. Ashitaka was quick to get to his feet and reached for his sword. Before he could fully draw it from its sheathe, the demon tried smashed its kanabo into Ashitaka's torso. Ashitaka released his grip on his sword and attempted to stop the strike with his hands, but the force was still great enough to push him. As Ashitaka stumbled back, the world around him suddenly turned black. The wolves and the demon vanished as a cold air began to chill his skin and a low fog began to brush against his ankles.


	21. The Second World

The chill of cold rock tingled San's skin as she awoke from a pleasant night's rest. She woke up feeling cleansed, as if every bit of pain in her body had fled her as she slept. What she could not remember was the night before. She distinctly remembered a sting in her back as her brother climbed the walls out of the city. She was able to see the glowing white moon just as her memory suddenly became blank. Try as she could, not one instance of what occurred next could come to her. She stretched her arms as she opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of a dark, starless void looming above. Her eyes were now wide open as another blast of cold bit her skin.

"That's not possible; it's summer," She muttered to herself as she sat up from the stone bed she had woken up on. She looked around her to find Ashitaka or her brothers, but what she instead saw was a daunting image. She was in a forest of black trees. At her ankles was a thick, low-hanging fog of white that swirled around her feet. The forest was thick and silent. The air around her gave her goosebumps. The air pierced through her clothes and further chilled her. She glanced over her shoulder to see the slab she had been laying on. It was a simple, gray platform raised three feet off of the ground. It was devoid of any writing or markings.

"Ah, there you are," A deep, throaty voice said ahead of her. She instinctively grabbed her spear and raised it towards an approaching figure in black. From the dark came a man with jet black hair hanging close to his waist, a bright red tunic, cream colored pants, and leather sandals that made no prints in the ground he walked on. "I'm sorry I didn't find you earlier. If I had, I would have woken you up."

"What? Who are you?" San kept her spear pointed at the man's throat.

The man smiled as he stopped six feet away from the point of her spear and bowed. "I have no actual name, but humans seem fond of calling me a shinigami."

"Shinigami? I think I've heard that name before. They're supposed to be spirits who deal with the souls of the dead."

"That's correct! We also deal with the dying, but that's not what is important at the moment. Right now, I need to bring you to your actual home. You see-"

"Wait, what do you mean? Where am I?"

The shinigami chuckled and replied, "Well, think of what I am. You said it yourself seconds earlier: I am a spirit who deals with the souls of the dead. And right now, I'm dealing with you by bringing you to your home."

The realization set into San slowly as she pieced it together. The cold air, the fog, the spirit of death before her. "I'm dead?"

The shinigami's smile vanished as he nodded. "You died last night while your brother was scaling the city walls. As he reached the top, one of Lord Oji's men fired an arrow that struck your heart. I doubt you felt very much, perhaps a sting, but that's because your death was instantaneous. You arrived here, in the Afterlife, not long after."

San was stunned into silence, standing with her mouth agape as her fingers uncurled. Her spear made no sound as it softly landed on the ash colored grass below. "I don't believe it," She whispered.

"Most don't, particularly the ones who died suddenly, such as you did. Lord Oji himself was shocked to find he had gone here."

San sat on the stone slab behind. She held her head in her hands, trying to find any possible explanation for this. She thought maybe it was a dream. She bit into her arm but felt an acute pain as her sharp teeth drew blood. "I'm not dreaming, then," She remarked, "This is real."

"I truly feel sorry for you, I do. I know you may not believe me, but it isn't my pleasure to deliver morbid news to the deceased. Just trust me when I say that I want to help you."

"Help me with what? If I'm dead, there isn't much that I'll probably need help with."

"Very true, but look around you. Do you really want to spend all of eternity in a bleak place such as this?"

"Of course not. I'd rather be in the forest with my brothers and my mate."

"Well, I've got the next best thing. Follow me, if you'll please. This was a special request."

San reluctantly nodded and followed the shinigami, picking up her spear before she began walking. She was still in disbelief. She could feel pain, she could feel the air freezing her bones, she could see and smell perfectly. She didn't feel dead at all. She began to wonder what had happened after she had died. How had her brothers reacted? And what of Ashitaka? The curiosity gnawed at her as the hour passed. She asked the spirit as they continued walking.

"Well, your brothers are stubborn and proud, so they didn't display much emotion. Still, they mourn your loss deeply. They were so greatly enraged that they actually reentered the city to kill your murderer. Your, er, mate, however had a far different reaction."

"What happened?"

"He made next to no effort to hide his heartbreak. He sobbed so loudly when he found the arrow in your chest that I could hear it in this world. And when he and your brothers buried your body, he utterly broke down. I swear, he probably would have ended it all if it wasn't for your two's daughter."

San sighed as dejection began to fill her body and cloud her mind. "How did you find all of this out?"

"I've got a friend who visits your world more often than I. I believe you've met him before, as has your mate and your brothers."

"The Black Wolf?"

"The very same. Trust me, he's harmless, like a newborn bunny. He's simply a messenger of death, not a killer himself. I also have him tell me the reactions of the deceased's friends and loved ones, just in case they want to know what was happening when they died."

"So when he appeared to my brothers and to Ashitaka, he was warning them?"

"Exactly. He can't speak to the beings in your world, though, he simply serves as a bit of a conditioner, to try and lessen the impact when a loved one dies. Of course, he failed this time around, but he's successful on occasion."

"So, I've been doomed for a while now, haven't I?"

"The very moment Lord Oji's lackey opened the gate, your fate was sealed. I cannot see into the future, I only know when and how somebody is to die, and your time of death was on the dot. I sent the Black Wolf out to your brothers the moment I knew the date and time you would pass. I suppose that was simply part of what was supposed to happen."

San and the shinigami continued walking for another half-hour until he finally stopped her. The two were standing before a red gate that guarded the entrance to a forest. San couldn't see very far past the gate, as the black trees made it nearly impossible to see anything beyond even two of them. "What's this?"

"This gate leads to your new home. I would accompany you, but I must attend to something else at the moment. Just walk on through and you'll see. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Alright." The shinigami waved goodbye as he walked into the darkness. The fog swirled around his feet with every step, creating small whirls of gray near the ground. San took in a deep breath and turned to face the gate. Calmly, she stepped on through and stared in amazement as the black trees began to turn green.

* * *

Ashitaka took a look around him as he tried to figure out where he was. The sky was black and the grass it his feet was the color of ash. The fog at his ankles made little swirls with even the most subtle movement. He looked around to see if there was anybody else nearby and found a man in a red tunic, cream colored pants, and leather sandals making his way towards him. Long black hair covered part of his face, though his smile was plain as day.

"This is odd; you aren't supposed to be here for another fifty years or so," The man remarked, "You aren't even dead yet."

"What are you talking about?" Ashitaka asked.

The man sighed and told Ashitaka what he had told San before. He explained what he was, where they were, and his duties. "I actually met your wife not too long ago. Beautiful woman, she is."

"San is here?" Ashitaka felt a glimmer of hope in his heart before he remembered where he was.

"Of course she is, silly, this is the Afterlife. She isn't in this part, though. In any case, it seems you stumbled into here by accident."

"Yes, a demon knocked me into here with a large club."

"Ah, let me guess... blue skin, large fangs, wide horns, carrying a kanabo?" Ashitaka nodded and the man grinned, "I'm surprised you survived a blow from an oni. But I'm not here to discuss what you did survive, I'm here to discuss how to get you out of here."

"I can't just go through the gate again?"

"No. The oni tried to hit you when you tumbled on through. Still, I guess it means you were successful in your journey to destroy the gate. You have my sincerest thanks for that, by the way. You have no idea how many souls escaped onto your world while that one gate was opened. There were thousands! I lost track after two-thousand of them got out and began terrorizing others. Now that the gate is broken, they won't be able to escape. However, I can get you out of here with a flick of my wrists."

"Wait! Before you do, is it possible for me to see San again?"

"Well, when you die, I suppose it will be. But I'm guessing that you mean right now... sure, I'll bring you to your wife." The glimmer of hope in Ashitaka's heart grew into a beacon. The shinigami felt some pity when he saw Ashitaka's eyes begin to become glossy as he smiled. "You know, you were a big help in closing the gate. If it isn't for you, the oni wouldn't have broken it with that massive stick it carries around. Now, it isn't very often I do this –the last time was a few hundred years ago– but I believe you deserve something for your troubles. Follow me; I'll discuss more on the way to your mate."

* * *

San found herself standing in a thick, green, lively forest. Birds were sitting on tree branches above her head. A train of kodama was marching on the path behind her. The sounds of the forest filled her ears, as if she was back home. She felt the rough bark of a tree, the warm, soft soil at her feet. She climbed a hill as she followed the sound of a river. When she found the stream, she dipped her head into the shimmer, clear water. It was cool, refreshing, but not frigid. It was a paradise that she could have only dreamed of.

"You seem to be taking to the afterlife quite nicely," A familiar voice said to her from behind, "That's good, far better than brooding over your own death."

The voice was gentle yet stern, soothing yet commanding. "Mother," San said faintly as she began to fill with ecstasy, "Mother!"

Moro lowered her head down as San threw herself onto her mother's pelt and tightly gripped her hide. "Hello, San. It's been a while, hasn't it."

San drew herself back as tears of joy began to well in her eyes. "It's amazing to see you again!" She squeezed her mother with even more strength. Moro smiled as she brushed her cheek against San's.

"And seeing you again warms my heart like nothing else. I only wish that you hadn't come here while you were still so young." San's smile faded as she slowly nodded. "I've been watching you, ever since I was led here by the shinigami."

"Really?"

"Yes, you and your brothers." San became worried of what her mother would think about her relationship with Ashitaka. Moro alleviated her fears when she said, "You have made me very proud to be your mother. You have a wonderful mate and a beautiful daughter. And I'm very happy that you were able to help bring peace to the forest. I only wish you had more time to enjoy it."

"I regret it too. I mean, this place is amazing. It's as if I'm living in a dream... but Okami, Urufu, Ashitaka, Kaya... how long will I have to wait for them?"

"I cannot answer that question, and probably for the better. If I were you, I wouldn't want to know when my mate would die."

"I wouldn't either, I'm just saying I'm going to miss them."

"You will see them again once their time comes. But right now, you might want to explore the area. It truly is a magnificent place."

San nodded and stood in bewilderment as she continued to take in the sights and sounds she heard. It was as if her home had doubled in size and had been cleansed of every blemish. The air here was warm and made a light breeze. The wide trees were reaching up to one hundred feet. Their branches intertwined with each other, serving as bridges for the smaller animals above. "Is there anyone else here?"

"Only a few others. Lord Okkoto is somewhere else right now, as is Nago. I want to say my mate is here, but he never arrived when you and your mate defeated him. He must have gone somewhere else, to a different world of the dead."

"Wow," San's voice trailed as she watched a small flock of white birds fly overhead, "Did you know this place existed?"

"Not at all. I often wondered what the Afterlife was like, particularly when I was poisoned by a human's bullet, but I never imagined it to be like this. When I arrived here, I felt like a pup once again. I ran through the forest, seeing everything I could see until the sun set."

Just then, Moro and San heard footsteps coming from down the path. Their vision was obscured by the foliage, but Moro waited patiently. San reached for her dagger before she realized that she probably couldn't die here.

San heard the voice of the shinigami as he said, "...and I'll be waiting for your response. Now, if you'll excuse me, a man just ate some poorly prepared puffer fish." San and Moro waited as they heard footsteps coming up the hill towards them. They wondered who the shinigami had brought, as it didn't seem like many others came to this forest. So when San saw Ashitaka coming up the crest, she became overjoyed. His face, too, beamed with glee as the two ran to meet each other. San leapt into his arms as he embraced her.

"Ashitaka!" She exclaimed. Ashitaka kissed her on the cheek, leaving a red mark next to one of her markings.

"Hello, San," Ashitaka greeted. He set her down and bowed to her mother. "Hello, Moro."

"Greetings, Ashitaka," The wolf said, "I must admit I was wrong about you. You've been treating my daughter well."

Ashitaka bowed again in thanks "Thank you. My only regret about San was that I wasn't able to protect her."

"Do not disgrace yourself over her death, as it was not of your control. If her fate was to pass at that moment, I shall not challenge it."

San's bright smile began to fade remembered what it took to get to this place. "Oh no... you're dead too?" She asked Ashitaka.

"No, I'm not," He replied, "I came here by accident and the shinigami said I could visit you."

"How did you get here?" Ashitaka explained how he and the wolves were attacked by the oni and how he accidentally stumbled through the gate. "So you're going to have to leave soon, aren't you?"

Ashitaka sighed and replied, "Yes. The shinigami said I could only be here for a short while. He fears that my presence will make the other spirits uncomfortable."

"Because you're alive? That seems petty."

"I know, but it's probably for the best. But, San, there's also another reason I came to see you, not just for the sake of it."

"What's that?"

"The shinigami, he said that in return for us helping destroy the gate that was letting loose demons, he would," Ashitaka took in a quick breath before he said, "He said he would be willing to resurrect you."

San's smile returned again. However, she was not entirely sure. "Ashitaka, I would love that, but... I'm not sure."

Ashitaka was astounded and was about to ask why, but then his eyes turned to Moro. He understood. "You miss your mother, don't you?"

"Very much so," She replied softly. Her reunion with her mother had only lasted a few minutes. Part of her wanted to stay, but she also wanted to return with Ashitaka, to go back to her normal life with he and their daughter.

"San, you don't need to stay with me," Moro said, "And while I would love for you to stay, I can wait for you to return."

San turned to Ashitaka and asked what he thought she should do. "I know Kaya would miss you greatly, as would I," Ashitaka said, "But I won't force you to come back with me. I would understand if you chose to remain here; it's a very beautiful place."

San nodded and looked back and forth between her mother and her mate. She knew there would be no turning back once she made her decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should mention that when this was first posted, there was a poll to see if San would stay with Moro or go with Ashitaka.


	22. A New Beginning

San looked towards the ground as her hands slid out of Ashitaka's and hung at her side, having made her choice. He bowed his head in understanding as he grimaced. He wasn't angry at her, nor did he feel rejected. Sorrow did fill him from head to toe, making his body feel leaden. He didn't feel it was his judgment that should choose if San should remain or not. If her desire was to remain with her mother in this wonderful land, he would support her. The fact she would be happy and no longer have to suffer what they had to in their normal lives gave him some solace.

"It was nice to see you one last time," He said as he lifted his head with tears in his eyes, "I hope that you will be happy here."

"Ashitaka..." San began, but she didn't want to continue. She felt like she was somehow wronging him by wanting to stay. She thought it to be selfish, seeing as to how she could easily come with him. Her love for her mother, however, was great. Though it made her feel guilty, she had been raised by her mother for nearly twenty years. It didn't make her decision much easier, nor did it soften the blow of seeing Ashitaka become teared up. He probably would have felt the same way if he tried to make San come with him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. If you want to remain with your mother, that's your choice, and I'm happy for you. The shinigami will be here soon, so I'd better wait at the gate he brought me through."

"San," Moro said suddenly, "I want to speak with you. Ashitaka, I'll send her to you in a moment, but don't pass through the gate yet." Ashitaka nodded, wondering what she wanted to talk about with San. He went off to the gate as he left San with her mother. "Come closer. I do not wish for your mate to overhear us."

San moved closer to her mother as her curiosity began to escalate. "What did you want to talk about?" She asked.

"Are you sure you want to stay with me? I know that you must love this place, but is it worth abandoning your mate for another five decades? Possibly six?"

"It's not just that; I wanted to stay with you. You're my mother, and-"

"San, I've taught you everything you need to know about surviving in the forest. I've taught you how to hunt, how to swim, how to climb trees, stalk prey, catch fish, hide from predators, and leap through the air. I've even taught you things that I myself would never need to know, such as starting a fire and creating medicine. There is nothing more I can offer to you. Even then, you had to know that I would eventually pass. Look at what we were facing, who we were up against. If it wasn't for that boy, you, your brothers, and I would be dead. There would be no more forest and the humans would have won an undisputed victory. I can give you a mother's love, but he can offer you that which I cannot."

"So... you want me to go back?"

"I lived for hundreds of years before the Forest Spirit finally granted me release. I learned patience then and I have not forgotten it. I would be willing to wait for you to return." Moro sighed and said, "It is a bittersweet statement. One part of me never wants you to return, but I know that is impossible. Humans can be like flowers: beautiful and vibrant with life but easily extinguished by time. Another part of me wants you to stay, but I feel like your life was extinguished too quickly. I wish for it to be rekindled. This world is a wonderful, peaceful place where you may rest once your life is over, a land of comfort after a lifetime of struggles. But you have experienced only so much, and I fear that means you will not be able to fully appreciate this place unless you live your life to a further extent. I know that you have faced things that other humans couldn't imagine, but it still isn't all you could have done." Moro looked to the river to her side as she recalled memories of her past which seemingly flashed by as she spoke to San about what she could have experienced. Some of her memories were times of great joy, others of great sorrow and rage. But she felt it was the latter which made her love this place more. She didn't wish for San to suffer, but she didn't want her daughter to die without knowing what could have been. "Return with your mate, San. I would be disappointed in myself if I forced you to stay here."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely. While a small part of me will regret seeing you go, I know we will meet in the future. All things come to an end, San, but it seems you've been given a rare chance to achieve a second. Take it. The shinigami don't hand out these offers like a mother offers her child with playthings. It would be for the best if you went with Ashitaka." San nodded, touched that her mother was willing to remain so patient. She thanked her mother profusely as she hugged the gargantuan wolf one last time. "Goodbye San, for now. I'll be anxiously awaiting your return. Just don't do anything that may hasten it, though."

* * *

Ashitaka was just one more minute away from the gate when he heard footsteps coming from behind him. Knowing it was San, he turned around as she stopped herself from sliding on the dirt. "What did your mother want to talk to you about?" He asked.

"Ashitaka, I'm going with you," San replied.

While he was surprised that San changed her mind, he felt that she didn't change it on her own. "San, I would be robbing you of a chance to remain here. It's a much better place than-"

"Please, just listen. Yes, my mother convinced me to go with you, but it was with good reason." Ashitaka still felt that he would be self-centered by bringing her, even if she wanted to go. He turned around to face the path leading to the gate but didn't continue. Perhaps it would be wiser for him to bring her. Besides, now he would be denying her wishes. Before he could give it much thought, he felt a tug at the sleeve which covered his curse-marked arm. He turned and saw San looking at him in the eye, though it was more of a gloomy look than a stern one. "Ashitaka, do you really want me to stay here?"

Ashitaka couldn't come up with a decent answer. In the end, he took a seat on a flat rock and held his head in his hands. The past few weeks of stress had been building up and he felt like he was going to explode. He grasped his hair and began to pull it due to his mounting frustration. He only stopped when San wrapped her arms around his neck and began squeezing playfully. He began laughing as she pulled him down to the ground and sat atop his chest. "I'm coming home with you," She said with conviction, "This place is nice, but I would rather be with you and our daughter."

"So, I assume you two are leaving together?" They heard from the gate. The shinigami was standing with his arms behind his back, awaiting their response.

"Yes, let's go home," Ashitaka said. San rolled off of his chest and helped him to his feet. The two embraced tightly, happy that they could finally return.

"Alright, alright, you two can hug and kiss and whatever else later, but I've got too much to do to wait around." Ashitaka and San nodded and followed the shinigami to the gate. Just as they stood in front of the wooden arch, the shinigami halted them. "You, sir, may go on ahead. I'll send your wife to you in a moment, but the whole process of bringing somebody back to life can take a while. Oh, and don't bother waiting at the gate. Just head on home."

Ashitaka nodded and walked past the shinigami. He took one brief look back at San before he went. She was waving, smiling at him. It gave him comfort as he smiled back and walked through the gate.

* * *

"Stupid! Demon! Just! Die!" Okami roared as he swiped at the oni's head thrice more.

"It's already dead brother," Urufu informed him, "You were still a bit dazed when we killed it." Okami glared at his brother then saw the indent his skull left on the tree he had been smacked into.

"I suppose... is everyone else alright?"

"Yes, but we can't seem to find Ashitaka."

"I'm right here," He said as he walked over the ruins of the broken gate.

"Where were you? We saw you get hit by the oni and then you vanished."

"It's a long story." Ashitaka held his hand over his eyes as he looked at the sun and its direction. "It's still pretty early, isn't it?"

"Yes, though it took us a while to defeat this thing. It's a miracle nobody was hurt... well, except for-"

"Quiet," Okami ordered. The wolves around him began chuckling under their breath, though he could hear them well enough. "I suppose we should accompany you home before we leave."

"I would like that," Ashitaka said, "But I would like to stop by San's grave first."

"We can do that." Okami assured him. Ashitaka hopped onto Yakul's saddle and followed the wolves. They spent two days traveling to San's grave site and found that her mask was gone.

"It was probably stolen by some human," Urufu growled, "But I suppose there isn't anything we can do about that." The wolves and Ashitaka stood in silence. Now that his mind was slightly clearer, he could better reflect on the good memories he had of he and San. However, he was anxious to return home. He asked the wolves if they would be willing to wait for him outside Irontown, as he would like to introduce his daughter to them. Okami and Urufu both said yes, wanting to see their sister's daughter before they left.

* * *

Another two weeks passed until they reached Irontown. Ashitaka left Yakul with the wolves as he ran to the gate and called for the guards to open. As soon as the gates were lifted, he ran home, waving quickly to those who welcomed him back. He hastily opened the door only to find his house completely empty. "Perhaps she's picking up Kaya," He said to himself. He rushed over to Lady Eboshi's home. He rapidly knocked on her door and grew tense as he waited for somebody to answer the door. He only became more restless when Lady Eboshi opened the door.

"Ashitaka, you're finally back," She greeted, "Your daughter will be very happy to see you."

"Is she still here?"

"Of course she is. I've made sure that she's been kept safe. So, how was your journey?"

Ashitaka began to wonder if the shinigami really did bring San back. "We destroyed the gate," He replied, "I can tell you more later, but I'd like to pick up Kaya. San's brothers would like to meet her."

"Very well. She is on the second floor. I'll bring you to her." Lady Eboshi led Ashitaka up a flight of stairs and to a room next to hers. He opened the door to find that Kaya was asleep in a crib. "I need to take care of some other things right now. I'll see you later." Ashitaka nodded. The sight of his daughter relieved him from some of the pent up stress he had been feeling. He walked over to the crib and lifted her into his arms. He brushed her dark brown hair and hugged her gently.

Kaya's eyes opened as Ashitaka stroked her hair. "Daddy, you're back!" She exclaimed as she reached for his face with her hands. He smiled brightly as he kissed on the cheek. "Where were you?"

"At work," He replied.

"Where's mom?" She asked.

Ashitaka's smile almost faded, but he continued grinning for her. "She'll be back soon." He was telling himself this as much as he was telling Kaya. He was sure the shinigami wasn't lying. What purpose would that serve? "Do you want to meet your uncles? They've come from far away and are only going to be here for a while."

"Okay."

Ashitaka thanked Lady Eboshi as he left her home with Kaya in his arms. As he returned to the front gate, he checked his house one last time to see if San was there. He was distraught when he found it to be empty. He didn't let Kaya see it, though. He continued smiling as he went to the front gate and brought her to the wolves. They initially scared her, but Ashitaka told her that they wouldn't hurt her. Urufu was the first to approach, brushing his nose against her cheek. She giggled as his wet nosed tickled her. She reached out with one hand and began to pet him. "This is Urufu, Kaya. He's one of your mother's brothers." Okami approached next and was introduced to Kaya. She petted him as well, but was too shy to say anything.

"She's beautiful," Okami remarked, "She looks like San when our mother first found her."

"She does, doesn't she?" A familiar voice said from down the path. The wolves shot their heads down the path and stared in disbelief. Even Ashitaka was stunned when he saw San coming towards Irontown, her two weapons in one hand and her mask in the other. Her clothes and hair were devoid of any dirt and the markings on her face were still deep red. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting, but you had a mount and moved faster than I did."

"San," Urufu said in shock, "But you were..." He cut himself off when he remembered Kaya was right next to him, "The arrow..."

"I came back. I'll explain more in a minute, but I would like to see my daughter." San walked passed the wolves and took Kaya from Ashitaka. She lovingly hugged her daughter as Kaya began to hug her as well. She shifted Kaya into one arm and outstretched the other, inviting Ashitaka. With a tear in his eye, he embraced both his daughter and his wife. The wolves looked on with smiles. Ashitaka felt a great weight lifted from his body as he felt the warmth of his family radiate over him.

* * *

Night dawned on Irontown. Many of the townspeople were gathered at the old ironworks, but Ashitaka decided to stay with San and Kaya in his house. San was laying on the futon with Kaya while Ashitaka prepared a meal for them. Eggs, rice, and venison. It was more than he had eaten in the past few weeks. Immediately after, Ashitaka and San changed into their nightclothes. Kaya was brought to her crib and fell asleep soon after. As Ashitaka and San were laying down next to each other, he reached over to San and gave her a warm hug. She returned his embrace, which seemed to make him laugh. His laughter began to make her giggle as well, and the two rolled atop one another until Ashitaka was laying under San.

"I'm so happy it's finally over," He said, "I don't know what I would have told Kaya."

"Try not to think about it," San said, "We're home and nothing will change that. The spirits are gone and there are no more demons. Maybe we will be able to live in peace now."

"There will be some problems here and there."

"Nothing can amount to what we've been going through." San looked over to Kaya as she said, "Unless I'm mistaken, she's supposed to be staying with me for the next month, correct?"

"Yes, she is. I'll be staying with you for two weeks and-"

"We need to stop this," San interrupted, "Ashitaka, we can't keep doing this switching back-and-forth system we've been doing."

"Why? It's been working very well."

"I know, but I want to see you more often. I don't want to live my life and only see you for half of it." San sighed, but smiled as she said, "Ashitaka, if you want, I could learn to live in this place."

Ashitaka was stunned. "You would be fine living around other humans."

"I can ignore them. I would rather be with you and our daughter and be surrounded by humans than living in the forest alone for a fourth of a year."

"Only if you're sure."

"I am." She replied.

With that, she rested her head on his chest and began to drift to sleep. Ashitaka cradled her head with one arm and stroked her hair with the other. Euphoria glazed over him as he fell asleep. Tomorrow, a new day, where they would begin to revitalize their lives. In the morning he would greet her and say, "I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was in no way surprised that San was voted to go on living with Ashitaka.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the end of the series. I chose to end it here because I couldn't really think of anything further that I needed to write. Did I mention that I hate the way it ends? With San coming back to life? I always regretted doing that, and should have either kept her dead or never killed her at all. I've been thinking of writing an epilogue just so that this story doesn't end on that note, or rewriting it completely. Until then, I have this ending. Ah well. Please tell me what you think in the comments and thank you for reading!
> 
> Also, I would like to point out that every mythical creature in this story is based on an actual spirit/demon/creature/what have you in Japanese mythology. So, yeah, jumping zombies is a thing over there.


End file.
